Confluence
by FaithinBones
Summary: Hannah discovers that there may be a dangerous serial killer at work on the east coast and brings that information to Booth. (Season 10)
1. Chapter 1

(Season 10)

A/N: This story is for JBCFlyers19. Earlier this year, she bought me a souvenir from the 'Bones' show and I really loved it. I wanted to write her a story to show my thanks and this is it. It's a case fic set in season 10. I hope you like it.

I don't own Bones.

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She paused in the doorway for a few minutes and watched him work. He appeared to be engrossed with something in a folder that didn't appear to be good news, so perhaps her timing might be a little off. On the other hand, she had no choice, what needed to be done would be done now. "Hello, Seeley."

A voice from the past, Booth looked up and discovered Hannah standing just inside his office. Not sure how he felt about seeing her, he placed his folder down, leaned back against his chair and stared at his ex-lover. "What do you want?"

"So it's like that?" Hannah hadn't known what to expect, but the scowl on his face told her that he wasn't happy to see her. "Five years is a long time to be angry with someone."

His face now a blank mask, Booth slowly shook his head. "Angry? I'm not angry . . . What do you want?"

Since he wasn't in the mood to talk about old times, Hannah knew she had better get to the point. "I've been working on a story for about two months now. It's an odd story and at first I wasn't sure what to make of it, but everything I've discovered, everything I've seen points to something that the FBI needs to be made aware of. I think . . . I think this needs to be taken care of by you, because the local police involved are not seeing the whole picture and the situation is getting worse."

"Why me?" Booth was trying to be patient, but the way Hannah was talking was starting to get on his nerves. "You work out of New York. There is an FBI office up there. Why not go to them with this serious situation?"

She stepped further into the office and pointed at the chair in front of Booth's desk. "May I sit down? I promise I'm not going to waste your time."

Since Hannah was being persistent and it would look bad if he threw her out of his office, Booth pointed at the chair. "I'm busy, so let's keep this short."

"Fine." Hannah knew that her former lover wasn't happy to see her, but she needed his help. She knew that she could trust him to look into what she had found. She just needed to convince him there was a problem first. Once she was seated, she pulled a notebook from her purse and placed the purse on the floor. "There have been a series of murders on the east coast, mostly in the states of New York and Connecticut, one in Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania . . . they involve the murder of children, all under the age of ten. So far, nine children have been murdered in these cases and I think they're related. I tried to talk to the FBI bureau chief in New York, but he said I didn't have enough evidence and I was just shopping for a sensational story. He said he wasn't letting the FBI get involved in tabloid trash . . . Seeley, I'm not doing that. What I have is real and I'm afraid . . . Will you hear me out?"

Booth leaned forward and placed his arms on his desk. He watched his ex-girlfriend check her notebook then look back up. "I don't want to sound callous, but children are murdered every day, it's a sad truth and law enforcement does its best to catch the killers . . . what's so special about these murders?"

He sounded cold and almost detached, but Hannah knew that Booth was processing what she was saying and she knew that he was probably trying to see the connection. She also knew he didn't trust her. "This is the weird part . . . I know it's going to sound like straight out of a movie, but I think I'm on to something . . ."

"Hannah, just tell me." His patience was hanging on by a thread. "What's so special about these murders?"

"Before each child's body was found, a clown was spotted in the area." She knew she had to talk fast now before he cut her off. "Witnesses reported seeing a clown, between 5' 10' and 6 feet tall. He had on a bright green fright wig, red and yellow clothes and black shoes. Each time, just before a body of a child was found, he appeared to be walking down a street or a lane nearby . . . I wasn't the one that originally saw the link in these murders. One of my former college school mates has a daughter named Robin. The child is eleven years old. She and a friend were approached by a clown in the town of Canaan, New York. Robin's friend, Kayley is afraid of clowns and as soon the clown appeared she screamed and ran away. Robin ran after her of course to make sure she was okay . . . Two days later a little girl's body was found in the same area where the girls had seen the clown . . ."

"Hannah . . ."

The reporter quickly held up her hand. "Wait, don't pass judgement yet. Let me continue . . . please."

Booth wasn't sure what he thought of her story so far, but it seemed a little too much like tabloid journalism. To emphasize how important his time was he looked at his watch. "Get to the point."

Relieved he was still listening, Hannah continued. "My friend, Marta was told about the clown by her daughter and she mentioned it to the police. One of the detectives was very condescending and thought Robin and her friend were just looking for attention. Then two months later, Marta read in the paper about a boy being murdered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A witness had reported seeing a clown like the one Robin had seen in the area where the child's body was found. She started to worry and she called me about it . . . I started to do some digging and I found seven other cases of a child's murder and witnesses spotting a green haired clown in the area before the body was found . . . come on Seeley. There is no such thing as coincidence in a murder investigation, you told me that . . . there is something going on and . . . and I think it involves a serial killer . . . these are connected . . . please, you can have a copy of my notes. Do some digging. There is someone out there dressed like a clown killing small children."

He didn't want to believe her. It sounded too weird, like some trashy newspaper publisher's wet dream. "Give me a copy of your notes and I'll do some digging. I won't promise anything, but I'll check into it and see if you're onto something."

She was relieved that he was willing to investigate what she had so far. Leaning over she picked up her purse, removed a manila envelope and laid it down on Booth's desk. "Here is a copy of my notes. I have contact information for Marta . . . Marta Berry. She said she's willing to talk to you, do an interview. She has copies of newspapers from around the east coast about some of the murders . . . She used to be a reporter, but she was injured by an IED in Iraq and she retired. She moved back home, got married and she loves her new life. She volunteers for the local newspaper. They can't afford to pay her."

Booth opened the envelope and flipped through the sheets of paper. Not sure if he believed she was on to a real story, Booth decided to remain neutral. "I'll get Angela to look into this. I won't involve the FBI unless I have to . . . if this looks legitimate, I'll pass it on to my bosses . . . we done?"

"Yes, we're done." Hannah was disappointed that Booth was so abrupt and she wondered if their connection was permanently shattered. It sure felt like it. "I read that you got married last year . . . you have a daughter . . . you married Temperance. Are you happy?"

At that moment his life was a disaster of his own making, but that was none of Hannah's business. "Yes I am." Booth stood up. "I have a meeting to get to. I'll let you know what I find out about these clown sightings."

"Thank you, Seeley." Hannah stood up and sighed. "You would never have been happy married to me. I turned you down because I love my job more than anything in this world. It's who I am . . . I love the thrill of the chase. I hate to live very long in one place. I told you that when we hooked up."

Booth removed his jacket from the back of his chair and slipped it on. "I don't live in the past, Hannah. I live in the present. I'm married to Bones and I have two great kids. My life is great, I'm great. I don't miss you."

"Ouch." Hannah felt a stab of pain, but in reality she had expected it. "Well, I'm happy for you then. You found what you were looking for."

"I did." Booth ushered his former lover out of his office, strode past her and headed for the stair well. He needed to get to his meeting.

Hannah watched her former boyfriend walk away and she felt a little regret. He'd been a great boyfriend and lover, but he had spoiled it by becoming too serious.

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The Gambler's Anonymous meeting had been shorter than normal. A few of the regulars hadn't made it to the meeting, but it was Monday night and Monday's could be hectic. He still wasn't fully participating like he should, but he did listen to the others tell their stories. Feeling a little lonely, Booth drove over to the Royal Diner to have a quiet dinner by himself. He missed eating with his family, but the diner was comforting, like an old friend when you need one.

As he entered the diner, he spied Brennan sitting at their table in the back. Surprised he walked over to where she was sitting and stood near his wife. "Can I sit down?"

"Of course you may." Brennan smiled at her partner. "I was hoping to find you here. I have Christine's report card and I thought you might like to see it."

As he sat down, Booth took the card from his wife and scanned it. "E's like always. I'm glad." He handed the card back to Brennan. "How are you? You doing okay?" He worried that he couldn't keep an eye on her in this late stage of her pregnancy.

"I'm fine. The baby is fine." Brennan had noticed a change in Booth in the last week. He had stopped asking when he could come home and Aubrey said he was taking his gambler's anonymous meetings more seriously. She had great hope that Booth was finally seeing the damage he had done to himself as well as to her and he was willing to try to fix it. "I came by your office earlier, but you weren't there."

"No, I was in a meeting." Booth picked up a menu. "You got time to eat with me?" He hoped she would stay with him for at least a meal.

Brennan glanced at her watch. "Yes, Dad picked up Christine after school today. I told him I was going to see you about Christine's grades."

Grateful he wasn't going to eat alone, he handed her a menu. "Great . . . thank you."

"You're welcome." She missed him so much. She just hoped having dinner with Booth wouldn't give him any false hopes. He still needed to fix his mess and get his addiction under control, but she saw no harm in eating with him. She knew he was probably lonely just like she was.

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So is this interesting? I know the title is odd, but hopefully it will make sense by the end of the story.

A/N: Confluence = an act or process of merging


	2. Chapter 2

(Season 10)

Thank you for your reviews. I really appreciate it them.

I don't own Bones.

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Once more she was standing in Booth's office and once more she was reminded that all decisions have repercussions. Some more serious than others. "I haven't heard from you."

"It's been two days." Booth didn't like the idea that his former girlfriend had the ability to just walk into his office unannounced. He planned to have a very serious talk with security after she left. "I didn't give Angela the material until yesterday morning. She said she would research it, but she has a case she's helping with. When she finds something I'll let you know."

"I heard you and Temperance broke up." Hannah still had contacts within the Hoover and she'd used them the previous day.

Furious that someone was talking about him to Hannah, Booth stood up and leaned against his desk. "My private life is private. Who I'm living with, who I'm not living with is none of your business." If he could find out who was talking about him he would, but he knew that Hannah would never give up her source. "I told you we're looking into the information you gave me and I'll get back to you. Why aren't you in New York doing your job?"

"I'm following up a couple of leads on a story I'm working on." She hadn't meant to make him angry, but she found it interesting that her former lover was having marital problems and was separated from Temperance. "Are you two going to get back together or is this a permanent breakup?"

Since she didn't seem to care about his privacy, Booth decided that Hannah needed to leave. Moving around his desk, he moved around the reporter, marched over to his door and pointed at the partially occupied bull pen. "You can leave on your own or I'll have you escorted out, your choice."

She knew she had stepped over a line, but she had had a point when she brought up his separation from his wife. "I told you when you broke up with me that we weren't through. If you and Temperance are going to separate permanently, then I would like to know what my chances are getting back with you."

"How about never?" Booth was so angry he was having trouble controlling his temper, but he knew he had to keep as calm as possible. The last thing he wanted was to escalate the situation. Hannah was the past and she had to stay in the past. "Look, I love Bones and she loves me. You don't mean anything to me. Nothing . . . I'll contact you when I hear something. Don't come back."

His words had a finality to them that she couldn't overlook. He didn't love her anymore even if she still loved him. "I'll be in town for the next two days then I'll be back in New York. I would appreciate it if you would let me know what you find out."

With nothing left to say, Booth watched his former lover leave his office and he closed the door once she was gone. Standing in front of his door, his back to the bullpen, he tried to regain some level of calm, but was having trouble achieving that goal. Pulling the blinds down, he locked his door, walked over to his desk and sat down. He knew that his gambling had caused Brennan to stop trusting him, but he wouldn't do anything else to risk keeping her from trusting him further.

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He found her in Bones Storage, examining the bones of a young person or a really small adult. "Can I talk to you?"

Surprised to see him, Brennan glanced at him then returned her attention back to the skeleton laying on the table before her. "You may."

Grateful that she was talking to him, Booth entered the room, but remained near the door. He wanted to keep some distance between them, so he could talk to her as rationally as he could. He was afraid if he moved closer he might touch her and he knew that would be a mistake. "Hannah came to me the other day with some information about a serial killer that she suspects is killing kids. I took the information and asked Angela to look into it for me."

She had wondered when he would mention Hannah or if he planned to do so at all. "I know, Angela told me."

"Well, I didn't want you to think I was keeping secrets from you." Booth should have realized that Angela would run to Brennan and tell her as soon as she could. "I didn't think it was important to tell you about her until she asked about us today when she came back by my office. Someone told her about us living apart right now."

"Is she expecting you and her to get back together?" Brennan felt her heart beat increase. She knew that Booth loved her, but she had kicked him out of their house and she was worried that he didn't understand that she did it out of love.

He stepped further into the room and shook his head. "I don't know what her expectations are, but I told her that I don't have any feelings for her and she means nothing to me. I love you Temperance, not Hannah, not Rebecca or anyone else from my past. You can trust me not to cheat on you. I'm working on fixing my problem for me, for us. I just wanted you to know that Hannah is in town and why."

"I see." Her heart rate had returned to normal and she knew her fears were groundless. When she had heard from Angela that Booth's former lover was back in town, she had worried that Booth would take their separation as permanent and move on. That was her biggest fear. That he would accept the separation and not fight for them. "I know you are going to your meetings and that you are doing well . . . I am glad that you are taking the effort to fix your gambling problem . . . and I'm glad you told me about Hannah. Thank you."

Booth knew that Brennan had lost her trust in him after Jimmy had turned up at their house and threatened her. What he had done was inexcusable and all he could do was try to make her see that she could trust him again, if not at that moment then soon. "I know this is a trust issue. I know that you aren't sure if you can trust me, but I love you, Bones. I love you and I would die for you. I don't want anyone else in my life but you . . . Just because you kicked me out of the house doesn't mean I'm going to run back to Hannah. That's not going to happen. Even if you never take me back, I will never go back to Hannah, never . . . When I get this thing fixed, when you can trust me again . . . I'm working on it and I'm not going to give up."

"Alright." She wanted to trust him so much, but trust had always been an issue in her life. Booth had made a serious error in judgement and he was working to fix that, she knew that, but he had to earn her trust. Telling her about Hannah helped. It helped more than he knew. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Yeah, of course." Booth hoped he had got through to Brennan. Everyone gossiped and he knew that he had to keep her informed about what was going on in his life. He had to win her back and that meant he had to be honest with her every step of the way. Every step. "I have a meeting, but I'll see you around 7 at the Diner if that's where you want to go." Her smile was faint, but Booth saw one and was glad to see it. "I'll go see if Angela has anything on the clown business."

"Booth!"

"Yeah." He turned back to face her.

"If there is a clown out there killing children, you can count on me to back you up." She knew he was afraid of clowns even if he couldn't admit it.

"Thanks." He really hated clowns and it helped to know that Brennan was on his side.

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He stood staring at the large monitor on the wall and waited for Angela to start her presentation. Angela was certain she had found something.

"Alright, I wrote an algorithm that included unsolved murders of children in the last five years, clown sightings in the area where the bodies were found, all the children under the age of eleven . . . . Since the girls approached in New York State were eleven, I thought that might be a good cutoff for now." Angela picked up her tablet and quickly hit a few keys opening the link to the monitor . . . It's weird that Hannah gave you this information. How did it feel talking to her again?"

"It didn't feel like anything." Booth didn't want to talk about Hannah, not with Angela, not with anyone.

"Um, okay." His voice was surly and a surly Booth could be an unpleasant Booth. "Here you go. . . . In the last four years there have been eleven children murdered fitting our parameters. They have been murdered in six states, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut. A clown with green hair was reportedly seen in the area just before each body was found. The children that were murdered were a diverse demographic, six Caucasian, three African American, one Chinese American and one child of mixed race. They were all under the age of twelve, seven were nine years old, three were ten years old and one was eleven years old. Usually there's a pattern of some kind, but these murders appear to be random, at least so far. I'm still trying to figure out if there is a common denominator."

Booth studied the screen, made notes on some cards and placed the cards in his jacket pocket. "Okay, thanks Ange."

Before he could leave, Angela placed her hand on his arm to stop him. "Would you like to come to dinner at our house tonight? You're more than welcome."

He appreciated the offer, so reluctantly turned it down. "Thanks, but I'm having dinner with Bones tonight. I appreciate the offer."

"Sure, that's great." Angela was glad to hear that happy little tidbit of news. "Anytime you want some company come by. We'll do a movie and popcorn or we can play cards or something."

Booth patted her hand and stepped away. "Thanks. I'm good, but . . . thank you."

Once he was gone, Angela sat down and thought about what it meant for Hannah to be back. Booth was vulnerable and he could be easy prey for the reporter. "Over my dead body. She'd better not try anything . . . I'll . . . I'll do something if she does."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(Season 10)

Thank you for reviewing my story. It is the only way I can tell if you are still interested.

I don't own Bones.

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She hesitated before she spoke. "Hello Temperance."

Not really surprised to hear that voice, Brennan looked up and spied Hannah standing in her doorway. "Hello." Ever since Angela had told her that Hannah was back in town, Brennan had expected her friend to show up sooner or later. Both Booth and Angela had told her about a suspected serial killer that Hannah was worried about, but Brennan felt there was more to this situation than just her worry about a murderer. She and Booth were separated and she worried that Hannah was there to take advantage of the situation. She trusted Booth not to cheat on her, but she wasn't so sure she trusted Hannah not to try to temp her husband to leave her. "Do you wish to speak to me?"

"Yes, thank you." Hannah moved into the office and sat on the chair in front of her old friend's desk. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has." Brennan watched as the reporter place her purse down on the floor. "I didn't expect to see you again." At least she had hoped she would never see Hannah again. Obviously hoping for something was utterly useless and a waste of time.

Hannah had been certain that Booth had told his wife that she was in town, but since they were separated, maybe he hadn't. "I'm in town because I may have discovered that there's a serial killer operating on the east coast. Seeley is looking into it for me, but I don't know if he's taking it seriously or not. He should. I know I'm right."

"He is taking it seriously." Brennan didn't like the implication that Booth would shirk his duty because Hannah had been the bearer of the news. "Angela researched the situation and as far as I know, she has found eleven cases that might fit the profile you reported. Booth is researching what Angela found. The fact that a clown has been spotted several times in the area when a child's body has been found is proof that something odd is going on, but we need more information. Booth has sent out requests for documentation from the various jurisdictions that have investigated the murders. I think he's only received four cases so far. He's waiting for the other seven cases to be sent to him."

Relieved that Booth was actually working on the case, Hannah nodded her head. "That's good. He was supposed to get back with me before I leave for New York, but so far he hasn't called." She was beginning to think Booth was going to squeeze her out of the investigation. She didn't like that.

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "He probably wants to look at the cases before committing to anything." Frankly, she hoped Booth didn't contact Hannah at all. Being separated from her meant that her husband was alone at the moment and if he became discouraged with the situation, if he lost hope and thought that their relationship was permanently broken, he might seek solace from someone else. The whole situation with Booth was unsettling for both of them. "When are you going back to New York?"

"In a day or two." Hannah still needed to talk to Booth. "Just so you know, he wasn't happy to see me. In fact, he told me he doesn't feel anything for me and that even if you two never get back together, he's not interested in getting back together with me again." She saw the change in Brennan's demeanor immediately. The tension in her friend's body seemed to melt away. "I'm not here to take Seeley from you Temperance. I didn't even know about your breakup until a few days ago. I really am here about the clown and the dead children." She hated the fact that Brennan didn't trust her. She had always tried to be her friend and Seeley's too. "Seeley and I didn't want the same things and I'm sure we still don't. He wants to be married and settled down in one place. I don't . . . I'm sorry that you two are having trouble, but he did tell me that he loves you."

That surprised her. Not that Booth loved her, but that he had told Hannah. "And I love him. He and I are separated, but it is only temporary. He has some issues he needs to work on, but once that is done, I imagine he will come back home." It was more information that she wanted to give, but she needed Hannah to understand that Booth being away from her was just temporary. It was temporary, she just wasn't sure that Booth understood that.

"Yeah, I figured." Hannah stood up. "Tell Seeley to call me." As she moved toward the door, Brennan stopped her.

"I'll tell him Hannah, but that isn't a guarantee that he will call you." Brennan was barely talking to Booth as it was. "He may not want the press involved in the case. This kind of case could turn into a sensational event and it could have dire consequences, especially for professional clowns. The populace is easily frightened about things like this and someone might decide that the local clown in their area is a serial killer and take justice into their hands. It would be tragic if that happened."

Hannah was well aware of the ability of the press to excite its readers. "I don't work for a rag, Temperance. I won't print anything about this yet. That's why I need to talk to Seeley. If he keeps me in the loop, then I'll know when I can release some information to the public, but he needs to talk to me." It sounded like a threat and she hoped Brennan took it as one. She didn't want to be squeezed out of this case. After all, she was the one who had put two and two together in the first place.

Her words sounded a little ominous and that worried Brennan. "I'll call him." Once Hannah was gone, she made the call.

 _Booth._

"Hannah came by . . . she wants you to call her about the clown case." She wasn't sure what else to say, so she said nothing.

 _I told her I'd call her, damn it . . . Did she talk about anything else?_

"Not really." Brennan wanted to be honest with Booth, but Hannah still worried her. "She said she plans to return to New York in a day or two. I think she'll delay as long as possible until you talk to her."

 _I'll call her . . . How are you doing? How's Christine?_

"We're fine." Being honest with herself, Brennan knew she'd be truly fine when Hannah was gone. "How are you doing? Are you still going to your meetings?"

 _Of course, I am. I know I have a problem and I'm going to fix this . . . I'm serious about this Bones. I'm going to fix this for me and for you."_

 _"_ I'm glad." Brennan hoped that his meetings would set him on the right path. "Would you like to have lunch with me?"

 _Yeah, of course. I'll meet you at the Diner at one. I have to call Hannah and try to get her to go home. This case isn't going to be solved overnight and I can't have her breathing down my neck._

"Alright." Brennan hoped Hannah understood that this kind of case could take weeks if not months to solve. "I'll see you at the Diner." The call ended, Brennan decided to check in with Angela and see what information she had given Booth. Perhaps if she helped with the case it would go much faster.

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As soon as he was off the phone with Brennan, Booth called Hannah.

 _This is Hannah Burley._

"Look, I said I'd call you. You didn't have to get Bones to call me . . . Angela went over the information you gave me and she came up with eleven cases we need to look into. I've already talked to Stark and he agrees there is something to this whole clown thing. I've started working on it, but it's not going to happen overnight. I have to contact the detectives involved in these cases and get as much information as I can and go from there. It's going to take time. Probably a lot of time." He hoped his being honest with her would get her to go home. He really didn't want his ex hanging around the District. The last thing he needed was a reminder of past personal failures not to mention he didn't want the clown case to be sensationalized in the press. "I'll call you and keep you in the loop, but I need you to sit on this story for a while. I don't want any more kids killed, but I need to make sure the press doesn't tie my hands up. I need to be able to investigate this thing the right way and if this is released by the press then it could cause a whole lot of problems not the least giving the murderer a heads up and give him time to destroy any evidence he has. Also, I don't want innocent men killed just because they're professional clowns. You know that can happen if people panic."

 _Yes, I know . . . I'll sit on it as long as you keep me in the loop and you can guarantee that I'll get the story first when you make an arrest._

"I can do that." Booth just hoped she gave him enough time. "This is going to take a lot of time."

 _I know that too . . . I'm working on something that might give you a lead. I'll get back to you when I find out if it works out or not._

"Hannah!" He hadn't liked the sound of that. Not at all. "Let me do my job. Don't blow this because you want a story. Kids lives are involved."

 _"_ _I'm not going to blow anything, Seeley. I have to go. I have a meeting in thirty minutes. Keep me in the loop._

"Hannah!" But he was talking to no one. She had ended the call. "Damn it!" He hoped Hannah wasn't going to ruin his case before it had got started. She was a great reporter, but he knew she wanted the story and she didn't care what Booth thought about it. He just thanked God that Hannah had told him no when he had asked her to marry him. He knew it had been one of the biggest mistakes of his life and the only thing that had saved him was her refusal. Of course he hadn't known that at the time, but he did now.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

(Season 10)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

It took several days, but Booth finally had a copy of all the case files he needed to check into the possible clown serial killer. The thought of a clown out there killing kids was Booth's worse nightmare. He often denied that he was afraid of clowns, but no matter how much he tried to hide it, he betrayed himself whenever he was around a clown. He was afraid of clowns and that was a fact. It had taken him a long time to figure out why, but after their case in Texas when he and Brennan had temporarily joined the circus, it came to him what his problem was. Clowns wore a lot of heavy makeup that disguised their facial features.

He relied on being able to look at someone and tell what they were thinking or at least their emotional state. That makeup kept him from reading people and that gave them an advantage over him. Under normal circumstances, that shouldn't really matter, but he knew that it could be a matter of life or death if he couldn't read someone properly. His job was dangerous enough as it was and if someone could hide what they were thinking from him then that put his life in danger as well as those he protected. Yes, he hated clowns, but he also feared them. This case was going to be a trial for him and adding that on top of what he was already going through and he was worried he would break instead of bend when he needed to.

Aubrey entered Booth's office carrying a copy of the cases that Booth had asked him to look at. His boss had wanted him to go over the case files of the dead children and then they would compare notes. So far, it all appeared to be random to him except for the clown sightings. Those were pretty specific and he was appalled that no one else had put it together before now. Four years and eleven children dead. It was bizarre. "I've gone over the cases, they're pretty random. Eleven kids, different races, some girls some boys, six states. The only pattern I see is that the murderer picks towns that aren't really big and a clown was spotted in the area just before a child's body was found. Also, the murders are happening about every 4 months." He sat down and placed his copies of the cases on the edge of Booth's desk.

Booth had been looking through the cases as well and he had found something that was so obvious, he wasn't sure why no one had noticed it. "Look at the names of the towns."

Puzzled, Aubrey picked up the copies he had and looked through them carefully. "Shit! You're kidding me . . . I don't know why I didn't notice that. It's so obvious."

The names of the towns had seemed a little odd the first time looking through the cases and something about the names started to bother him, but the second time through, when Booth started making lists on cards, the names just jumped out. "Well, if you're looking at each individual case it's not that noticeable, but I when I started to make a list of the facts that's when it became obvious to me." He held up one of his cards and read off what was written there. "Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Babylon, New York, Canaan, New York, Bethlehem, New York, Bethel, Maine, Bethlehem, New Hampshire, Canaan, New Hampshire, Canaan, Vermont, Bethany, Connecticut, Canaan, Connecticut and Bethlehem, Connecticut."

Aubrey rubbed his hand across his mouth and knew that the case had just added another bizarre twist. He didn't like it at all. "He's picking towns with religious names and he seems to be almost obsessed with Canaan and Bethlehem. This is bad."

It was chilling as far as Booth was concerned. "We can assume he's going to continue this pattern . . . I checked and there are a couple of other towns named Canaan. Not only does Connecticut have a Canaan, but it has a New Canaan and there is Canaan Valley in West Virginia. As for Bethlehem, there is also a Bethlehem Township, in New Jersey, Bethlehem, North Carolina, and a Bethlehem in West Virginia. The killings are spaced apart about every four months and he's due to kill someone in the next two or three weeks. We need to narrow down the possibilities."

"I agree." Aubrey stood up and pointed over his shoulder. "I'm going over to the Lab and see if Angela can help with this. I'll let you know what I find out."

"Alright." After Aubrey was gone, Booth opened the first file and started to reread it. He hoped to find something that would point to the killer or at least where he might strike next. Making lists helped him focus and he would continue to look for patterns. To make things easier, he leaned forward and spaced his note cards on the right side of his desk, so he could check them as he reread the files. He needed to find more patterns. There were always patterns when you were dealing with serial killers.

Ooooooooooooooooo

His mind on his case, Booth didn't really participate in his Gambler's Anonymous meeting like he should have. Of course, he had yet to actually tell his story, but he was going to the meetings and that meant he was working on his problem, didn't it? Still, he felt guilty afterward, but the meeting was over and all he could do was promise himself to take the next meeting more seriously, maybe finally stand up and talk about his problem.

Frustrated with the clown case, he drove home in a funk. Hannah had stumbled upon a bizarre case that no one in law enforcement had noticed. True, the killer was not concentrating his kills in one place and his deeds had been done in six states, eleven counties and eleven law enforcement agencies . . . well, the killer had done his best to hide what he was doing and that was a fact.

Once he was home, or what passed for home lately, he heated up a frozen dinner, grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down on the couch. Not really hungry, he forced himself to eat while he flipped through the available cable channels looking for something to take his mind off of his problems. He just wished he could go home, but he knew that was impossible. He had to earn Brennan's trust again and it wasn't going to be easy. Trust was a big deal to her and once you destroyed that trust, it was almost impossible to get it back.

He missed eating dinner with his family. He missed reading to his little girl and oh how he missed holding his Bones in his arms at night. The phone rang and interrupted his thoughts. "Booth."

 _Hi, I know this is short notice, but Dad is out of town and I need to go back to the Lab. Could you babysit Christine tonight?_

"Of course I can." Booth placed the half eaten dinner on the coffee table as well as the half bottle of beer. "I'll be right over." This would be the first time he had been home since Brennan had kicked him out and he wasn't going to turn her down. "How long do you think you'll be?"

 _I think I'll be away for at least two hours. No more than three. Christine is taking a bath and I didn't want to disrupt her nightly routine._

"I'm on my way." Booth ended the call, grabbed his truck keys from the bowl on the counter and left.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

By the time Booth arrived Christine was ready for bed. Eager to be with his daughter, Booth sat on the bed and read her a few fairy tales until the child fell asleep. Once Christine was properly covered to keep her warm for the night, Booth slipped quietly out of the room and headed to the kitchen to see what was in the fridge. He was soon eating some warmed up leftover vegetable stir fry and drinking a beer while watching a game on television. His stomach was blessing him for the delicious meal and he knew he had been eating too many frozen dinners lately. Booth realized that his diet had been poor since he'd separated from Brennan and he'd better fix that. Brennan's stir fry reminded him that he needed to take better care of himself or it might cause himself problems down the road.

The few hours that Brennan was away helped Booth find a little peace. He knew he wasn't back home to stay, but just being with his daughter had helped him. The funk he had been in for the last few weeks had been dragging him down and he needed to do better. He had started to take his meeting more seriously and that was a start, but he needed to earn Brennan's trust back and he needed to stop feeling sorry for himself. He had made the mess he was in and no one else was to blame. He just needed time.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

When Brennan arrived home, she found Booth sitting in the living room watching television. "Thank you for watching Christine."

"Hey no problem, any time." And he meant it. He really wanted to be of use to Brennan and his daughter and if that meant just babysitting then so be it. "All you have to do is ask."

She was a little uncomfortable. She really wanted Booth to stay, but that was impossible. He had a serious problem he needed to work on and letting him come back home wouldn't help the situation. She knew that even if her heart told her otherwise. "Thank you. I'll try not to abuse your offer."

"No, ask me anytime." Booth was grateful for the chance to prove that she could rely on him and he would make sure he was available when he could. "You doing okay? Do you need me to take care of anything while I'm here?"

She immediately thought about the leak in the hallway bathroom. "Well, it's late and I know you probably want to go home, but if you don't mind, the faucet in Christine's bathroom is dripping. It started yesterday."

Booth glanced at his watch and shook his head. "Nah, it's just nine. Let me look at the leak." Walking past her he walked down the hallway to the bathroom and noticed the dripping as soon as he was in the room. Once he was on it, he had the problem fixed in twenty minutes. "See, no problem. Tell you what, you keep a list of things that have a problem and whenever I babysit, I'll try to take care of them."

Grateful for Booth's help, Brennan nodded her head. "Thank you. I will." A little apprehensive, she wondered if Booth would try to talk her into letting him stay. Much to her surprise, he didn't. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or sad. Once he was gone, she sat down on the couch and felt a tear slide down her cheek. She missed her husband's company so much and she hoped that someday she could trust him enough to invite him back home.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

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	5. Chapter 5

(Season 10)

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I don't own Bones

Ooooooooooooooooooo

It had been the look on Courtney Hodsoll's face while she spoke of letting go that grabbed Booth's attention. The young lady had told him she had finally realized that she could love her mother even if her mother couldn't love her and that had hit him hard. She was the daughter of an addict and that addiction, even if it was just cookie jars, had made Courtney feel less important to her mother, unloved, unwanted.

He had tried to assure her and he hoped he had got through to her. "It wasn't your fault. She was an addict. It had nothing to do with you." And it hadn't. Courtney's mother had died trying to protect her cookie jars and that made Booth realize that his own addiction could do the same thing to him leaving behind his family wondering if he really loved them at all. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let that happen.

His next meeting came and he finally stood up and told his story. It was a big step in trying to fix himself and he knew it. It had taken him weeks to finally stand and once he had told his story, he knew that he had made the first step back towards his family. He had a lot of work to do, but he now accepted that and he would do what he needed to do to get the trust back that he had destroyed between him and Brennan.

In the meantime, he was still working on the clown case and he had a few decisions to make. The clown was probably going to kill in a week or two and he felt he should put out some kind of warning to the Sheriff's offices in the counties that might be targeted next. Neither he nor his team were any closer to finding out who the killer was and he was afraid that a child was going to be murdered before they found the clown.

Booth had known that it was going to be a tough sell, but he hadn't counted on how tough. He called the Sheriff of Ohio County where Bethlehem, West Virginia was situated first because he had a gut feeling that was where the next murder was going to take place. He had tried to warn him about the clown, but the Sheriff had thought Booth had either lost his mind or was conning him. "Look Agent Booth. I've seen those movies and I don't believe some guy in a clown outfit is killing anyone. I know you people are publicity hogs and you like to get your names in the paper, but you aren't going to make a laughing stock out my office." And the man had hung up.

He had also contacted the Sheriffs of Fairfield County, Connecticut, Tucker County, West Virginia, Hunterdon County, New Jersey and Alexander County, North Carolina. Unlike the Sheriff of Ohio County, those Sheriffs had listened to him and assured them they would keep an eye out, but Booth had heard the disbelief in most of their voices and he knew that they weren't taking him seriously.

"Damn it, Bones. It's ridiculous." Booth was angrily stirring a spoon in his coffee cup and some of the liquid was sloshing over the sides of the cup. "Some kid is going to be murdered in the next week or two and the minute I mention clowns to law enforcement, they act like I'm nuts. Too many people have seen those damn killer clown movies and they think this is some kind of a stunt being perpetrated by the FBI. Those assholes . . . damn it!"

Clearly Booth was agitated, but Brennan didn't really see away around the problem for now. Placing her hand over his hand, she stilled his stirring spoon. "All you can do is warn them Booth. I contacted the family of the child murdered in Canaan, New York and asked if we could exhume the body of their daughter. They weren't receptive to my idea, so I called two other families and the family of Beverly Li has agreed to allow their daughter's body to be exhumed and sent to the Jeffersonian. I told them we would pay all expenses involved and Mr. Li said he was grateful. The Li family wants the killer caught and they have agreed to cooperate as much as possible. After I got their approval, I contacted the Sheriff of Essex County, Vermont to let him know what is happening and he has agreed to cooperate with our investigation."

"That's great, Bones." He knew that Caroline had been trying to get permission to exhume the bodies of two of the children killed in New Hampshire and the child killed in Canaan, Connecticut, but the families weren't cooperating. He had known she had planned to try the other families next, but it looked like Brennan had beat her to the punch and this way they wouldn't have to produce a warrant to get what they wanted. "I'll let Caroline know you got one of the families to cooperate. She told me the families she'd contacted so far didn't want their child's bodies to be cut up again since they've already been autopsied once. One of the fathers cussed her out and hung up. Caroline didn't like that . . . not at all."

Brennan had been given the same treatment from two of the families, but had not taken it personally and kept contacting families until someone agreed to her plan. "Many of the families just don't want their child to go through another autopsy. I realized that they may also be worried about the expense, so that is why I assured Beverly Li's father that I would pay all costs."

"That was a great idea." Booth wiped up the spilled coffee with a napkin and sipped some of the cooling beverage. "Maybe you'll see something the coroner of Essex County didn't see. God, I hope so."

"If there is anything to find, I will find it." Brennan was just as anxious as Booth was to find the killer before he killed another child. "How was your meeting last night?" Brennan was anxious about Booth's recovery and she wanted to make sure he was still going to his meetings. So far he had seemed to be barely trying to fix his problem and she was worried that he never would.

Booth picked up a fry and dredged it in some ketchup. "It was good . . . This is going to take some time, Bones. I'm working on fixing me, fixing my addiction, but . . . well, it's not something I can fix in a day or a week or a month. What I did, it was wrong . . . I have a lot of hard work ahead of me . . . I, uh . . . I need time."

"I know." And she did know. She wanted her husband to know she was on his side. "If you need my help, Booth, you just have to ask me. I know it seems like I'm not on your side because I made you leave the house, but what I did was necessary. I want you to succeed. Everyone wants you to succeed."

He was grateful for her concern, but he knew it was battle he had to fight by himself. Booth did appreciate that she was in his corner though. It gave him the strength he needed to do what he needed to do. She was his anchor in the wild storm his life had become. "Thanks . . . It helps believe me . . . Let me know when you get Beverly's body and if you find anything. In the meantime, I'll tell Caroline what's going on and tell her she can quit trying to get one of the families to cooperate."

"No don't do that Booth." Brennan needed all the evidence she could get. "If she can get one of the other families to cooperate then that would be good. It would give me a better chance of finding evidence to help with our case. Tell Caroline to tell the families that the Jeffersonian will pay for all expenses if that is their worry."

"Thanks, Bones. I'll do that." Booth hoped they got a break soon. He didn't want another child to be murdered.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

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	6. Chapter 6

(Season 10)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

The body of Beverly Li arrived at the Lab three days after Brennan had made the request to her family. The Jeffersonian Institute had taken care of the arrangements and had the body delivered as soon as it was possible with as much dignity as they could manage. While Brennan and Cam began their autopsy, Booth was trying to find a way to prevent another child from being murdered in the next week or so by the clown. Booth's gut was telling him that Bethlehem, West Virginia was going to be the next place the clown was going to visit and he needed law enforcement in that county to be on the alert.

Unable to sit in his office and wait, he and Aubrey drove to Bethlehem, West Virginia. Booth wanted to try to talk to the Sheriff of Ohio County in person and present him with the information he had from the eleven murders that had been committed so far. He hoped that Sheriff Weist would take him seriously once the evidence was presented to him. If not, Booth wasn't sure what else he could do.

The Sheriff was wary of both Agents when they arrived, but agreed to meet with them in his office. "Look Agent Booth, I appreciate that you might think there might be a killer clown running around killing kids, but if that's true, why hasn't it been in the papers?"

"It has been. Just not in the papers you read." Booth pulled several newspaper clippings from local newspapers who had mentioned a green haired clown being spotted in the area when a child's body had been found. The press in each newspaper had treated it as a joke and mentioned the killer clown movies that were so popular. He then handed the Sheriff a manila envelope containing a copy of some of the paper work filled out by detectives while investigating the deaths of the children. Booth didn't give the Sheriff all of the information he had, but he did give him what he thought would convince him that the situation needed to be taken seriously. "Eleven children in four years. Eleven counties, eleven jurisdictions. No one has put this together up until now because the murderer is operating all over the east coast, not just in one place."

As he read through the paper work, Sheriff Weist started to feel a chill run down his back. The whole thing was bizarre, but it looked like the FBI had been telling him the truth all along. "Why do you think he'll strike here next? Why Ohio County?"

Booth knew he had to be as patient as possible. He needed the Sheriff to believe him. Pulling some note cards from his pocket, he handed the one that listed the names of the towns where the children had been killed. "These are the places the children were killed. It isn't obvious until you list the towns together in one list."

"Fuck!" He read over the names and it was obvious why Booth had decided that the clown might come to his county. Still Weist hesitated. "Aren't there anymore towns named Bethlehem or Canaan in this country?"

He nodded his head and ticked off the names of the towns that might be targets next. Booth wanted the Sheriff to understand that Bethlehem was the most likely target. "There's a New Canaan, a Canaan Valley, a Bethlehem Township, Bethlehem, North Carolina and Bethlehem, West Virginia. So far, all the murders have been committed in northern states. He might drive down to North Carolina next, but I think West Virginia is the next likely target." He hoped the Sheriff was willing to at least consider the possibility.

Aubrey was getting impatient. "Sir, it's possible that the clown might hit another town, but are you willing to take the risk? We're trying to prevent a child's murder. Our computer expert has run all the data through her computer and she agrees with Agent Booth. It really looks like the clown is going to strike here in the next two weeks. We can't pinpoint the exact time, but he murders someone every four months and the anniversary of his last murder is coming up in nine days." He couldn't believe that the Sheriff couldn't see that he had a problem.

Sheriff Weist didn't want to appear a fool, but he just couldn't overlook the evidence. He now knew that the FBI Agents were being sincere and not looking to turn some murders into a sensational story on the front page of every newspaper in the nation. Clown or not, he had a duty to try to prevent a child from being murdered in his county. The question was how? "Okay, I get it and I believe you. What do you want me to do? This is a fairly large county and Bethlehem is just a small part of it. If we need to concentrate in just Bethlehem that's fine, but if we have to watch out for the rest of the county . . . well, there are 13 elementary schools in Ohio County. I can brief my deputies to be on the lookout for a green haired clown, but without a name or something else to go by . . . well, we'll be relying on luck."

Booth knew the Sheriff was right. "I think the target will be Bethlehem, Sheriff. I don't think we need to worry about the rest of the county. _At least I hope not._ I can have a couple of FBI Agents help your department by supplementing your patrols. We don't think you need to look out for the clown for at least a week. We could help you for a few days. Dr. Brennan and Dr. Saroyan at the Jeffersonian in Washington D.C. are working on trying to come up with evidence right now. If they can find something to point to a specific individual they'll let me know and then I can let you know. I'm hoping we find out who this guy is before he gets the urge to kill again, but it may not happen. He may kill another child before we can catch him."

"Alright." Sheriff sat back against his chair and thought about the situation. "I can contact Bethlehem Elementary school and talk to the principal. Let her know that she should warn her students if they're approached by a clown to run like hell and get to safety. I don't want to panic the kids, but that's the easiest way to protect the kids that I know of. The principal can explain it anyway she wants as long as she gets the kids to understand that they shouldn't go near any clowns right now." He knew he was going to get a bunch of calls from panicked parents, but he could deal with that when the calls came. "I'll have my deputies look out for any odd people, not just clowns in the next few weeks. I'm assuming it isn't someone local and that should help. I'll take those Agents if you're still offering."

"Thanks Sheriff." Booth was relieved that he was going to get some cooperation. "I'll call you when I get back to the District and I have it set up. I hope this works. In the meantime, if we get the identity of the clown, we'll arrest him as soon as we can and I will let you know of the arrest."

The Sheriff stood up and offered to shake Booth's hand. "Thanks for driving up here and explaining what's going on. I needed to see the evidence and you gave it to me."

"You're welcome, Sheriff Weist."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Because Booth was tired and had too much on his mind, he was willing to let Aubrey drive them back. As the scenery passed by, he tried to come up with a plan to deal with the clown if they failed to identify him in the next few days. As soon as he got back to his office, he planned on calling the Sheriff's office in Alexander County, North Carolina and try to get him to take the clown situation seriously. He had a gut feeling the clown was going to kill again and it was going to be in either Bethlehem, West Virginia or North Carolina. His money was on West Virginia, but North Carolina was also in the running.

Aubrey spotted a sign that Hagerstown was coming up and he planned to stop to eat. "Booth I'm getting off up ahead. We need to eat."

Although he wasn't really hungry, Booth nodded his head. "Okay."

Once off the exit, Aubrey followed some signs that lead to the 'Texas Roadhouse' and parked the SUV in the restaurant's parking lot. As he got out of the truck he glanced at his watch. "Damn 3:50, no wonder I'm starving." Hustling to the entrance, Booth followed behind and chuckled at the way Aubrey was practically running to the restaurant. Much to Aubrey's annoyance, they had to wait for ten minutes until the restaurant was officially open before they could enter the building.

After they were settled at a table and they had placed their order, Aubrey leaned forward on the table and spoke quietly to Booth. "I know you're going to miss your meeting tonight. Would you like to come by my place and watch a game? I can pick up some buffalo chicken wings or pizza and some beer."

The offer was kind, but Booth didn't want to accept it. He thought he might go to mass instead. "Nah, thanks though."

"Come on, Booth." Aubrey was worried that if Booth missed too many meetings he might slip. "It looks like it might be a good game and I don't really have a lot of friends since I'm the new guy in town. I could use the company." He hoped if he worded it like a favor, Booth might accept.

"Well, I guess I could watch some of the game." Booth really hated being alone, but he didn't want pity from Aubrey either. He hoped the offer was sincere and not just that the man felt sorry for him. "Pizza would be good . . . maybe a salad."

"Salad?" Aubrey had seen how Booth ate at the office and the only time his boss seemed to eat healthy was when he was around his wife. "Really?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I've been eating too many frozen dinners lately. I need to eat better . . . I like salad."

"Well, I like salad too. As long as it has meat in it." Aubrey ate a wide variety of foods and tried to make sure he had vegetables and fruit in his diet once in a while. "Okay, pizza and salad it is."

The server dropped by and set their drinks down in front of them and left a basket of hot rolls which Aubrey quickly grabbed. "God I'm so hungry." Munching on his roll, Aubrey watched his boss sip some of his iced tea. Finishing his first roll, he buttered another one rather lavishly. "You know Booth, if you need some company you can call me anytime. You aren't alone in this. We're all rooting for you. I know that you'll get it right and you'll be home before you know it."

He didn't really want to talk about his gambling problem, but avoiding it was the same thing as pretending it wasn't a real problem and he couldn't do that anymore. "Yeah, thanks. I have a lot of work to do . . . Look I didn't thank you yet, but . . . thanks for handling Jimmy for me. I . . . uh, should have never let it get that bad, but I did and I appreciate you helping Bones. She didn't deserve what happened and you being there for her means a lot to me. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Aubrey knew that Booth was a prideful man and to break down and thank him and been hard for him to do. "We all make mistakes. The key is to learn from them . . . Like me. One time, a long time ago, one of my friends bet me that I couldn't drink as much as he could and like the idiots we were at the time we had a drinking contest. Damn I was so drunk I have no idea how I got home, but somehow, I did. When I woke up in my apartment it scared the shit out of me. I mean I drove home drunk as hell. I could have killed someone or myself. I was young and I was definitely stupid, but I learned from it. Now, I never drink more than a couple of beers at a time and I'm very careful to make sure a lot of time has passed before I drive home after the two beers. . . If I had killed someone it would have been a hard thing to live with and I never want to put that to the test again . . . You did something stupid and now you're paying the price for it, but you'll get past this and you'll make sure it never happens again."

"Yeah." Booth leaned back as the server placed a plate in front of him. Once he was gone, Booth picked up his fork and smiled. "Thanks Aubrey. I . . . thanks."

Aubrey knew that Booth was a little embarrassed, but he had hoped his little story would make up for the Gambler's Anonymous meeting his partner was going to miss. "You're welcome . . . Damn these ribs look good." Tearing some of the meat from the bone with his teeth, he moaned in pleasure.

Amused, Booth cut up his steak and paused before taking a bite. "Wow, want to be alone with your plate?"

"Nah, I'm good, but I'm not sharing." Aubrey used a napkin to wipe some of the delicious barbecue sauce from his lips. "Damn this is so good."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

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	7. Chapter 7

(Season 10)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Babysitting his daughter was becoming an almost everyday event and Booth was so happy to do it. Max was up to something per usual and was gone most of the time which left Booth to fill in when Brennan had to work late. Working on the killer clown case was driving her to work late hours, but she was trying to prevent another death if she could. Not only had the Li's allowed Brennan and Cam to autopsy their daughter, but Caroline had been successful in getting the Morgan Family to allow an autopsy of their son to happen as well. William Morgan had been murdered in Bethel, Maine and their family had been clamoring for justice ever since. When Caroline had approached them, they had been quick to agree to the autopsy, but were relieved when they were told that they wouldn't have to bear the costs of the exhumation or reburial.

The autopsy on Beverly had produced some evidence, but not enough to point to anyone in particular. Green nylon hairs had been found on the clothing she had been wearing when she had been murdered. Cotton fibers were found in a deep scratch on the little girl's throat too. It appeared that the child had been cut with a knife before she had been strangled which infuriated Cam. "Damn it, it looks like he might have tortured the child first." She found some slices on the girl's arms and on her shoulders that confirmed her worst fears.

Hodgins was certain that the clown had worn white cotton gloves while strangling the child. Thankfully, the girl had not been sexually assaulted. No DNA evidence had been found on her clothes which disappointed everyone. So far there was just particulate evidence. Hodgins was certain if they caught the clown they could match his wig against the wig material found on Beverly's body, but Cam knew it was all circumstantial. They needed much more and they needed something to point to the identity of the killer.

Once the body of William Morgan arrived, Cam began a careful examination. She had been surprised to find that the boy had not really been through an autopsy. The coroner had noted the crushed hyoid and assumed death by strangulation. He had also noted numerous bruises on the boy's body. Angela was curious and checked on the background of the coroner and found out he was the local pediatrician. He had done the best he could, but obviously he hadn't been very thorough. Perhaps finding the cause of death had stopped him from doing anything else.

While Hodgins inspected the clothes that William had worn when his body had been found, Brennan assisted Cam in her initial examination. Cam was hopeful that they might find something pointing to the killer.

"From the bruises on the boy's hands, he fought back and he didn't die easily." Brennan was oddly proud that the child had fought for his life. He hadn't been afraid or at least not enough to let the clown just kill him. "We may find DNA evidence."

Cam had noted the defensive wounds and prayed that Brennan was right. "He was a brave little boy. Nine years old and a warrior. The funeral home washed the body which doesn't help us, but I'm going to check the wounds on his hands and under his finger nails. Also, I think he may have done some damage to the clown."

"The Sheriff's office did scrape under his finger nails and they said they got some bits, but I'm not sure they did any DNA testing or at least they didn't send me the DNA test results if it was done." Hodgins wasn't impressed with what he was seeing in the report that the Sheriff's office had sent over. "I'm going to call them and ask that they run the DNA test. I'll pay for it out of my budget if that's the problem."

Brennan was listening to the entomologist as she inspected the child's hands. "Since William put up such a fierce fight, there should be blood on his clothes. Not just his, but his assailant. I think William's case was mishandled . . . I am not satisfied that the Sheriff's office did all that they could."

No one standing on the platform was happy with what they were seeing. Clark Edison had volunteered to help with the case since it involved the deaths of children. He wanted that clown found as soon as possible. "I'll call the Sheriff's office while you keep working on the clothes, Hodgins. I'll try to see why there weren't any follow throughs." With that he left the platform and returned to his office.

While Clark was gone, Hodgins was elated to find several human hairs on the clothes that didn't belong to the child. William's hair was a deep copper red and the hairs he was finding were a chestnut brown color. "Hah, I found hair. Several strands. William did good. He did really good."

Glad to hear it, Cam and Brennan continued to inspect William's body. The boy may have got them the clues they were looking for.

Oooooooooooooooooo

As Cam started her autopsy, with Brennan standing by to help, Clark returned to the platform. "I talked to the detective in charge of the case. He did send off the finger nail scrapings for DNA testing, but the tests never came back. He said he also sent some hair that had been found on the clothes too. He said he called about it a few times, but they just keep saying they have a back log and they'll get to it when they get to it. I called Booth and he's going to get someone from the FBI up there to fetch the DNA samples and send it here for us to analyze. He's pretty pissed, but he said we should get it by tomorrow morning."

Grateful that the DNA hadn't been lost, Cam grimly inspected the hyoid that lay bare of skin and muscle. "The boy has a crushed hyoid just as the coroner reported. This is what killed him."

Working diligently, Hodgins soon found a few drops of blood on the shirt near the collar and took samples. "William, you make me so proud. You really do."

Oooooooooooooooooo

His Gamblers Anonymous meeting went well or at least Booth thought so. He talked about his struggle with gambling and it helped to have sympathetic ears listening. He had thought his addiction was under control since he had met Brennan, but he had let himself become too lax over the years. He had done a few office pools and hadn't really considered them gambling, but he now knew that he had just been setting himself up for failure. He had let himself think he was cured. What a joke on him. He had to give up all of that behavior forever. Not just cards and pool. He had to be diligent and turn down office pools or casual bets on sports games. There was nothing casual about gambling when it came to an addict and he knew that now.

Brennan was helping Cam with William Morgan's autopsy, so Booth had picked up their daughter from school and took her out to eat. They had dinner at the Royal Diner and Booth had laughed when she tried a sip of coffee from his cup and she had spit it out in a napkin. "I told you, you wouldn't like it."

"That's just awful, Daddy." Christine was amazed that all the adults she knew drank that bitter stuff. "Yuck."

Amused, Booth sipped his coffee and placed the cup down. "I told you it was something adults drink. Maybe the next time you'll believe me."

"I will, Daddy." Christine took a drink of milk from her glass and smacked her lips. "I like milk better."

"Good." Booth was really enjoying being with his daughter. She always made him smile. "You'll have strong bones like Daddy." He flexed the muscles in his right arm and pointed at it. "See, I drank milk when I was a kid and look at that."

She was impressed. "Wow, you must have drunk a lot of milk."

"Oh, I did." Booth pointed at her spaghetti. "Okay eat up. We need to go home soon. You still have to do your homework before you go to bed."

Their dinner was interrupted with questions from Christine, but Booth was used to that. He really missed being with his family and he would do everything he could to be able to come back home. The nights without his family were so lonely and it was hard to sleep by himself. He hoped that someday his wife would forgive him. It was a lot to ask, but he hoped she would be able to see that he meant to stay sober now and in the future.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

She found him sitting at the bar, flipping through a photo album. "I hope you didn't have plans this evening."

"Me?" Booth would have laughed, but he knew his wife wouldn't get the joke. "Nah. How'd it go with the autopsy?"

"Hodgins found hair and blood on William's clothes." Brennan placed her purse down and sat down next to Booth. "I don't think we'll need the DNA from the fingernail scrapings, but we will process it and verify it matches the DNA we will get from the hair and blood. Cam has prioritized the DNA tests and hopes to have it by tomorrow evening. We may find out who the killer is very soon, Booth."

That was fantastic news as far as Booth was concerned. "God, I hope so. If that nut keeps his schedule some kid's life is going to be in danger in about four days. I want to make an arrest before he kills anyone else."

"What are you looking at?" Brennan was curious about the photos that Booth was looking at.

Moving the photo album so that it was in front of her, Booth pointed at a picture. "I was looking at Pop's old album. Most of the pictures were taken by Grams when she was alive, but there are some of us after she died . . . that's a picture of my father . . . it was during one of his sober moments."

Brennan felt sorry for Booth. His father had been an abusive drunk and no role model that he could emulate. Of course, her parents weren't exactly role models either. "He could have tried to get help, Booth. He didn't want to. That is one of the many differences between you and him. You want to do something about your addiction. Of course, there are many more differences between you. You love your family and you are an honorable man. Edwin Booth neither loved his family nor was he honorable . . . How are your meetings? Are they helping you?"

"Yeah, I think so." Booth appreciated that Brennan knew that he wasn't like his father. "It helps to talk to people that are going through the same things that I'm going through."

"You can always talk to me, Booth." Brennan was worried that Booth might feel too isolated. She loved him and she needed him to know she was still on his side. "Any time."

He appreciated her sincerity. "I know. Thank you . . . This is just going to take times, Bones. I made a big mess of my life and I really want to fix this, what I did . . . I'm sorry that I've put you through this whole thing. I never meant to hurt you or Christine. I never meant to put you in danger, but I did and I am so sorry."

Her throat felt tight from emotion. This was the first time that Booth had apologized with sincerity. He had apologized before, but he had been in denial at the time. He was trying to accept what he did was wrong and he was taking responsibility. It was what she had been waiting for. "Thank you." She didn't really have anything else to say about it, at least for now. "Would you like a slice of pie? I have some in the fridge. I bought it for you."

Standing, Booth closed the album and smiled. "I'd love a piece of pie. Thank you Bones. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	8. Chapter 8

(Season 10 – The Light in the Life)

Thank you for reviewing my story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

He'd worked on multiple cases before, so he wasn't too concerned about doing it this time. Booth had to look into the case of someone who had been murdered and dumped in a forest that incidentally had just burned to the ground while working on the Killer Clown case. The clown case was more important as far as he was concerned, but Micah Stanbow deserved justice too.

While he investigated the death of Micah he made sure to send two FBI Agents to Ohio County, West Virginia to help the Sheriff and his deputies patrol the area around Bethlehem for the next four days. Booth was hoping the extra help and the alert to the children that attended Bethlehem Elementary school would help the situation. He also prayed that the killer didn't snatch a kid from one of the other elementary schools somewhere else in the county. The clown was following a pattern, but if he was spooked he might break that pattern and that worried Booth a lot.

In the meantime, he worked the Stanbow case and Brennan worked on both cases along with the rest of the team at the Lab. Aubrey had volunteered to be one of the agents that went to Ohio County, but Booth felt he would be of more use on the Stanbow case while they waited for the DNA tests to come back with an identity. He was pinning his hopes on the DNA tests giving them the name of the killer clown. If the tests did what they were supposed to, he would arrest the clown before the killer made his next move and Booth thought Aubrey would be a big help to him.

One of his fears was that the killer would be in costume and makeup when he was confronted. Booth worried that he might hesitate at the wrong moment in the presence of the clown and he needed someone like Aubrey to back him up. He had always relied on Brennan in the past to back him up, but she was staying out of the field more these days because of her pregnancy and that was fine with him. He didn't want to put his wife and baby boy in danger if he could help it.

Aubrey did his best to cover for Booth when he had to break to go to his meetings the next few days. They were both putting in long hours, but they both made sure that Booth had time to attend his GA meetings. Aubrey wanted his boss to succeed and return home where he belonged and if that meant he worked a few extra hours with Booth then so be it. He knew Booth would do the same for him. He was just that kind of guy.

While Booth had taken a chance and slipped out of the Hoover to get to his GA meeting, Caroline arrived looking for him. When she found his office empty, she tracked down Aubrey and entered his office. "Where's Booth?"

Surprised to see the prosecutor, Aubrey stood up and leaned against his desk. "He's at a meeting, can I help you?"

"Yeah, Cher', where are we at on the Killer Clown case?" Caroline sat down and placed her purse on Aubrey's desk.

He was still the new guy and Caroline was a little intimidating, so he grabbed a folder, sat down and glanced at it to give himself something to concentrate on. "Sheriff Weist talked to the Principal of Bethlehem Elementary school to see about warning the kids who attended the school to not go near clowns. Booth called him yesterday and asked him to talk to the principals at the other schools in the county and put out the same warning as he did for Bethlehem Elementary. He's afraid that the clown might get spooked and change his pattern and we need to be prepared for that. Also, we have two agents up there to help the Sheriff anyway they can . . ."

That was not the information she was looking for and interrupted the agent. "I know all about that. I need to know if we know who the killer is yet. Have the squints come through for us? We're running out of time."

"Not yet, but Dr. Brennan thinks she might have that information for us this evening or no later than tomorrow morning." Aubrey closed his folder and leaned forward on his chair. "That's why I'm still here. Booth had to go to a meeting, but I expect him back in about twenty minutes. We plan to wait and see if the DNA gives us what we need. If it does, we plan to make an arrest tonight. Also, we closed the Micah Stanbow case a little while ago. It was the girlfriend."

"Good. Now you can concentrate on the Killer Clown case." Caroline picked up her purse. "Keep me informed." With that she was gone.

Aubrey expelled a deep breath and rolled his shoulders trying to release the tension. "Man . . . I need a cup of coffee and maybe a candy bar or a bag of chips, maybe both."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Hannah used to have a few informants in the District when she was working there, but she had lost contact with most of them while she had been in Iraq and then Zimbabwe and New York. Before she left New York to contact Booth, she had checked with her producer who turned out to have some informants in Washington D.C. she could use. One of those turned out to be the husband of one of the producer's cousins who happened to work in the Lab at the Jeffersonian. Taylor Jackson was very careful about how often he used that particular informant since he wanted to make sure he would be available for years to come. Before giving her the name of Brandon Green, he had made sure she knew that Brandon would balk if it looked like he was being asked to betray Dr. Brennan in any way. Brandon hero worshiped the anthropologist and had refused to divulge to Taylor anything during what had turned out to be the uncovering of a massive treasonous plot against the United States. He refused to give out any information because it appeared that no one was trustworthy at the time and he wanted to help protect Agent Booth and everyone at the Lab. Dr. Brennan's husband had been imprisoned and everyone at the Lab had known that something was really wrong with that situation. Taylor had almost pulled his hair out when he had missed the opportunity to break the Durant case, but he had understood Brandon's loyalty. Hannah knew that she had to careful how she contacted Brandon and what she asked of him.

She had met Brandon at a little coffee shop that served his favorite cheesecake. Hannah had presented him with all she knew about the clown case. She had asked him to help her if he found out the identity of the clown and she would make sure that the killer was caught. She had emphasized that she had no intention of interfering with the FBI, but the clown had been killing children all over the east coast and they might not be able to track him down in time. Her newspaper had numerous contacts with many police departments and she had tried to assure him that she would be an asset to the case not a hindrance. Brandon had hesitated, but in the end he agreed that if he heard a name he would pass it on to her. She did have to promise that if she found the clown before the FBI, she would have to tell them as soon as possible. It was Agent Booth's case and he needed to be kept informed. Brandon didn't want to ruin his case.

Hannah had been swift to make that promise and three days later, she was given that name, Keith Miller. The suspect was not a professional clown, but worked in a bakery. She found that very odd and wondered if the scientists at the Lab had made a mistake, but she felt it was her duty to look into it. Miller lived and worked in Altoona, Pennsylvania and the only time he'd ever come to the attention of the police is the time he had been charged with bashing in a few mail boxes while he was in high school. Of course, the police hadn't liked the fact that the boy had targeted policemen and fireman's homes.

Altoona was three hours away from Washington, D.C. and Hannah meant to track down the man before Booth and any other FBI agent could get there. Her idea was to observe the man from a distance, take a few pictures, interview some of his neighbors and build a picture of how the man ticked. She intended to be there when he was arrested and then break the story as quickly as possible. Hannah was sure the other news services would pick up on the story as soon as they realized that the serial killer dressed as a clown when he murdered his young victims. It would be sensational story.

It seemed odd to Hannah that the killer lived in Pennsylvania. Only one of the murders had happened in Pennsylvania so far, but maybe that was the idea. He probably wanted to be as far from his victims as possible. She had been certain that the serial killer would be found in the state of New York, but she trusted the people at the Jeffersonian and if they said it was Keith Miller then she believed them.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The reporter didn't waste any time getting to Altoona. Hannah was certain that Booth was on the way and she probably only had an hour to find Keith Miller and do the things she hoped to do. She knew that her ex-lover was going to be very unhappy when she showed up at the arrest, but she hadn't promised to keep out of the way and she did have a job to do.

She found Miller working at the bakery. She had taken a few discreet pictures of the man and then left the bakery. After she was out of the store, she walked across the street and took a picture of the bakery and that caught the attention of the store owner behind her, who was cleaning the windows in front of his building. "It's not that old of a bakery. I know of older buildings in town."

Hannah smiled and decided that the store owner might be just the person she was looking for. "I'm a food reporter for the New York Times. I travel around, look for great places to eat and write about them. Do you know the owner of the bakery?"

"Oh sure, Susan Campbell." Howard rubbed his rather fat stomach. "She makes great cupcakes. She's the reason why my doctor yells at me all the time." The store owner laughed.

Hannah chuckled and pulled a notebook from her jacket pocket. "Do you mind if I take notes?" When Howard shook his head, she asked a few questions. "What's your name?" If there was a hint that his name would be mentioned in a newspaper Hannah knew that the store keeper would be even more cooperative.

"Howard Gale."

"The bakery owner is Susan Campbell . . . can you tell me the names of the people that work for her?"

"Oh sure . . . there's Patsy Herbert and Keith Miller."

Before Hannah could ask more questions, Howard pointed across the street. "Hey there's Keith now. I wonder where he's going? He normally works until eleven."

Certain that she didn't want to lose Keith, Hannah waved at Howard and started to shadow Keith as he moved down the sidewalk. When he reached the alley next to the bakery, he jumped in a car parked on the side of the building. As fast as she could, Hannah raced back to her car and decided to follow the baker. She didn't know where he was going, but she would follow him and see what he was up to.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

(Season 10)

Thank you for reviewing my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Altoona wasn't a huge city, so it didn't take Booth and Aubrey long to find the bakery they were looking for. Once they were there, they entered the building and asked for Keith Miller. Much to their disappointment, Keith had left earlier that morning because of a migraine.

"Poor Keith, he's been plagued with migraines for as long as I've known him." Susan was not only Keith's boss, she was also a former high school classmate. "It usually takes him a day or two to recover."

Worried that Miller might be on the way to Bethlehem, West Virginia, Booth stepped out of the bakery with Aubrey on his heels and pulled his phone from his pocket. Glancing at Aubrey, Booth pointed across the street at the man standing in the doorway of a store. "See if he saw Miller leave and if he noticed which way he went."

While Aubrey was doing that, Booth called Sheriff Weist. "Yeah, this is Agent Booth. We have a possible name for the killer clown, Keith Miller. We're in Altoona looking for him, but I need to let you know the man isn't at work. He may be headed your way."

 _Thanks for the heads up. We'll be on the lookout._

"Someone will call you back with the make and model of his car in a few minutes." The call ended, Booth watched Aubrey hurry back across the street. "Well?"

"Miller got his car and drove that way." Aubrey pointed right. "Mr. Gale said he was cleaning his windows and he noticed Miller leave the bakery and drive away. He said that Miller didn't drive the normal route he normally takes to go home . . . and some bad news. Mr. Gale was talking to a reporter when Miller left the bakery. He said the reporter followed Miller."

"Damn it." Booth was pretty sure he knew who the reporter was. "Hannah."

Aubrey shrugged his shoulders. "Mr. Gale didn't get her name, but he said she was blond and pretty."

"Fuck!" Infuriated, Booth ground his teeth in frustration. Trying to control his anger, he pointed up the street where they had parked. "Come on. We'll go by his house just to make sure he's not there and if . . ." Interrupted by his phone, Booth answered it. "Booth."

 _Seeley, this is Hannah. I'm just outside of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. I'm following Miller. He stopped at a gas station and I'm observing him from another gas station across the street. He went into the bathroom and he hasn't come out yet. He took a small bag inside with him._

"How do I get to Ebensburg from here?" He was furious with his ex-girlfriend, but right now he needed to get to Miller as soon as possible. "I'm in Altoona."

 _Take Business 220 south until you hit 22 West and stay on 22. I don't know where he's going . . . shit. He just came out of the bathroom and he's wearing his clown costume. Hurry Seeley._ She ended the call and got back into her car. This was bad, this was very bad.

"Damn it." Booth jammed his phone in his jacket pocket. "Get to the truck, Aubrey. Hannah is following Miller and he stopped in Ebensburg to change clothes. He's on 22. It looks like he's headed to Bethlehem after all." Racing down the street to his SUV, Booth jumped in as soon as the door was open and barely waited for Aubrey to get in and close the door before he started the SUV and entered traffic. Handing his phone to Aubrey, Booth kept his eyes on the cars and trucks around him as he tried to go as fast as he could. "Check my last contact and try to call Hannah back. Tell her to stay out of it. She's going to get herself killed."

He tried to do as Booth asked, but Hannah refused to answer the phone. "She's ignoring calls."

"Shit!" The last thing Booth wanted to worry about was Hannah. "Call the Pennsylvania and West Virginia State police and warn them about Miller. Maybe we can stop him before he gets to Bethlehem." Booth was certain that Miller was on the way to Ohio County to murder another child. "I swear when I catch up with Hannah I just might strangle her."

"After we catch the clown first though." Aubrey had his priorities and the clown had to be stopped. Booth could strangle the reporter afterward. He might even help.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Hannah was careful to keep a lot of distance between herself and Miller's car. He was being very careful and was driving a couple of miles below the speed limit. He was also using turn signals and keeping proper distances from the vehicles in front of him. Hannah knew that Miller was trying to keep from the drawing the attention of the Sheriff's offices and the State Police. It made sense, the last thing he wanted to do was get a ticket for speeding. Not dressed as a clown anyway.

On highway 22, Booth was driving above the speed limit and he was hoping to catch up with Miller before they got to Bethlehem. Aubrey had been busy and got the make and model of Keith Miller's car as well as the license number. After he got that information, he passed it on to the State Police in Pennsylvania and in West Virginia and let them know that Miller was probably on the way to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the FBI didn't want that to happen. Once those calls were done, he called Sheriff Weist to make sure he had Miller's information too.

He had been worried about which route Miller was going to take to Bethlehem, but before Booth had to choose 119 south to 70 or 22 to Pittsburgh then on to Bethlehem, his phone rang and Hannah was on the line.

 _He's taking 119 south. If you're behind me you need to hurry up. We just passed Crabtree._ Much to the annoyance of both men, she ended the call.

"Damn it, what the hell is she doing?" Booth appreciated the heads up and he had Aubrey pass that on to the State Police, but his anger with Hannah was growing with each mile. "She's going to get herself killed and I can't stop it."

Before they had gone another mile, a State Trooper came up behind Booth, turned his emergency lights on then off, waving for the agent to keep moving. Grateful they now had backup, Aubrey rolled down his window and waved his hand outside the window. Rolling the window back up, Aubrey placed Booth's phone on the console. "Maybe we have a shot of catching him before he gets to West Virginia. God, I hope so."

Oooooooooooooooo

A Pennsylvania State policeman and a Westmoreland County Sheriff's Deputy caught up with Miller just west of New Stanton, Pennsylvania. Hannah was a mile or so back from Miller and was startled when both a State Police car and a county car passed her with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Wisely, she slowed down and waited to see how this was going to play out.

At first, Miller had sped up and then slowed down after traveling just two miles, eventually moving onto the shoulder of the road and stopped. The police cars stopped a few yards away and blocked the right lane and the shoulder behind him. Hannah pulled onto the shoulder and then over on to the grass next to the shoulder as close as she could to the State Trooper without making the officer anxious and waited to see what would happen. She pulled her camera across the passenger seat and started taking pictures while she waited.

Miller sat in his car for several minutes as the police tried to get him to leave his car. The man stubbornly refused to get out of his car and the police officers didn't like it. They both withdrew from their cars and stood behind their open car doors with their guns aimed towards Miller's car. They weren't sure if Miller was armed and they weren't taking chances.

In the meanwhile, the State Police Car that was following Booth, turned on his emergency lights, passed Booth's SUV and sped up. Booth increased the speed of his truck and followed the trooper down the highway, his emergency lights now flashing. "They must have caught up to Miller. Call Hannah."

Her phone rang and reluctantly Hannah placed her camera down and answered it. " _Miller is pulled over and there is a State Police car and a Sheriff's car behind him. The cops are standing outside their cars with their guns drawn, but Miller refuses to get out of his car . . . Oops, another State Police Car just showed up. He's behind me and he's stopped traffic from passing the scene. I can't believe how many idiots have passed by so far. They're asking to get shot."_

"Hannah, this is Agent Aubrey. Booth's driving." Aubrey glanced at Booth and he could see the clenched jaw on his boss. "You need to stay in your car. Don't leave your car . . . where are you?"

 _Don't worry, I'm not getting out of my car . . . We had just passed New Stanton when the police showed up . . . and another county mounty just showed up. I'm hanging up. You better hurry."_

The call ended and when Aubrey tried to call back she refused to answer it. "I'm going to kill her before you do, damn it." Disgusted, Aubrey placed the phone back on the console. "How far do you think we are from New Stanton?"

"I don't know." Booth kept on the tail of the State Police Car and hoped they got to Miller before any shooting started. "I've only been through this area once and that was to Pittsburgh not New Stanton."

Aubrey had never been in the western part of Pennsylvania before, so he had no idea where he really was. Picking up Booth's phone again, he looked for a map app and found it under a folder titled 'Useful Stuff'. Clicking onto Maps, he tried to see how far they were away from Miller. "We're coming up on New Stanton right now." He looked up and watched the State Police car weave around some cars that refused to get into the right lane. "Idiots." Once they were on the other side of New Stanton, the younger agent closed the app and placed Booth's phone on the console. "Not long now."

Soon blue and red flashing lights could be seen in the distance. Once they were closer and caught up with stopped traffic, the state trooper slowed down and moved on to the right shoulder of the highway with Booth following closely behind him. In a few short minutes, they were behind a parked State Trooper car and both the State Police car that had been his escort and Booth stopped and parked their cars.

Leaving the SUV, both men ignored Hannah who was staring at them from the safety of her car. Booth and Aubrey both pulled their FBI ID from their belts and held them in one hand as they approached the scene. Flashing his badge and ID to the State Trooper parked on the shoulder not too far from Miller, Booth pointed at the clown's car. "Has he said anything?"

The trooper shook his head while he still faced Miller with his gun drawn. "Nope. We've ordered him to get out of his car, but he refuses. I'm not sure what he hopes to accomplish. We aren't going to let him go."

"May I speak to him?" The trooper nodded his head and handed him the mic that would carry Booth's voice over the car's speaker. "Keith Miller . . . you might as well just get out of the car. We just want to talk to you."

Everyone saw the driver's side window on Miller's car roll down. "You'll shoot me, I'm not stupid."

"We won't shoot you if you get out of the car now." Booth really hated situations like this. You never knew what would work and what wouldn't work. "We will shoot you if you stay in the car much longer. Right now, we just want to talk to you . . . this doesn't have to end badly. Just get out of the car and put your hands up. No one wants to hurt you."

"I didn't do anything!" Miller was starting to sound a little panicky. "You have no right to pull me over and aim guns at me. I'm just driving down the highway. I didn't do anything wrong."

Booth was afraid that Miller was going to get himself killed or get someone else killed. The idiot. "Keith Miller . . . We know who you are and where you live. We know where you work and we know what you've been doing for the last four years with the kids. Just get out of the car. You can't run. There isn't anywhere to run to. Come on . . . use your head. If you cooperate this might not end badly for you or us. Just open the car door, put your hands out first and up over your head, then get out of the car . . . we won't sit here forever waiting for you. You have to know that."

The car door suddenly opened, but Miller made no move to get out of the car. "How do I know you won't shoot me? . . . if you know what I did then maybe you want me to die."

The door being opened was probably a good sign that Miller wanted to end the situation. "We aren't murderers, Miller. We enforce the law. We don't break them . . . Just get out of the car. No one will shoot you."

The clown hesitated then slowly got out of the car and stood facing the police. "I don't have a gun. Don't hurt me."

A little impatient, Sheriff's Deputy Stewart shouted to Miller. "Hands up."

Miller nodded his head and moved his hands up equal with his neck. "Don't shoot me." As Miller stepped away from the car, Deputy Stewart, one of the state troopers and Booth started to move towards the clown.

Booth's mouth was suddenly dry and the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. He knew that he could get people killed because of his insane fear of clowns, so he decided to let the other's handle arresting Miller. He was as close as he wanted to be to the clown. Aubrey took his cue from Booth and stayed back as the deputy and the trooper moved closer to Miller. Both Booth and Aubrey had their guns out, not aimed at the clown, but at the ground. At the moment there were two law enforcement officers between Miller and them and they didn't want any accidents to happen.

Much to everyone's horror, Miller lowered his hand and grabbed a gun from his belt behind his back. Everyone tried to react before the clown could aim his gun and shoot, but shots were fired at the police just a moment before the police returned fire.

Hannah leaped out of her car, recording the action with her camera, her heart racing as shots were exchanged between Miller and the officers standing in front of him. She had a job to do and she was going to do it.

Oooooooooooooooo

So, is this story still interesting?


	10. Chapter 10

(Season 10)

A/N: yes I was a little mean the way I ended the last chapter, but you know I'd never leave you hanging for long.

I still don't own Bones. If I did there would have been a season 13.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Booth and Aubrey witnessed Deputy Stewart fall to the ground with a gunshot to the leg, but they didn't have time to do anything about that. When the clown starting firing, Aubrey knelt on the ground and started firing at the clown. Booth knew he needed to bring down the clown as quickly as possibly so aimed and shot the serial killer in the forehead. As the man fell, he seemed to crumple like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Both Aubrey and State Policeman Sato approached the dead clown with caution. Once he was next to Miller, Aubrey kicked the gun away from the body and leaned over to place two fingers on the clown's neck. "He's dead." Glancing at the trooper, he noticed blood spreading down the left sleeve of Sato's arm. "Man you've been hit."

Startled, Sato looked down and spied bright red blood on his shirt. "Damn." He holstered his gun and placed his hand over the wound. "I don't think it's serious. It doesn't feel serious."

Aubrey didn't care if it was serious or not. He grabbed Sato's uninjured arm and yelled for help. "This man has been shot and we have a deputy down with a gunshot wound to the leg. Call an ambulance." State Trooper Donahue raced by Aubrey and attended Deputy Stewart who was sitting up holding his hand over his leg wound. Satisfied that Deputy Stewart was being helped, Aubrey kept his hand on the arm of the wounded State policeman as they walked back to his car so the trooper could sit down. Passing Booth who was staring at the corpse of the clown, Aubrey glanced back a Miller then back at Booth. "Did you do that head shot?"

Booth nodded his head. "Yeah . . . I didn't have a choice."

In total agreement, Aubrey nodded his head. "You're damn right you didn't." He was amazed that Booth had overcome his fear of clowns and had shot Miller. He admired Booth all the more for his professionalism.

While Sheriff's Deputy Grant called his Sheriff to report the shootout and afterward the coroner, two state troopers stood over the corpse waiting for the coroner to show up. They weren't happy that Deputy Stewart and Trooper Sato had been shot, but at least the serial killer was dead and he couldn't hurt anyone else.

Booth holstered his gun and walked back to where Hannah's car was parked. As he rounded the last car between him and her, he noticed the reporter lying on the ground in front of her car. His heart racing in his chest, Booth ran to her side and knelt next to her. "Hannah . . . Hannah." He couldn't help but notice the blood stain spreading on the left shoulder of her blouse. Placing his hand over the wound and pressing down, he shouted. "We need an ambulance. Civilian down. Call an ambulance."

Hearing Booth's shout, Aubrey rushed to his side and knelt next to the unconscious reporter. After he checked her pulse, he was filled with relief. "She's alive. An ambulance is on the way for the deputy and the state policeman." Standing, he made a 911 call to ask for another ambulance. One he was assured that two were already on the way from New Stanton, he ended his call. "Ambulances are on the way, Booth."

His hand pressed against his former lover's shoulder, Booth felt afraid for her life. He may not love her anymore, but he didn't want her to die. "Good . . . Stay with me Hannah. Don't you dare die on me. I've had too many people I know die lately. Don't you dare die too."

Oooooooooooooooooo

She woke in the hospital and noticed she wasn't alone. "Did you remember to pick up my camera?"

Amused, Booth stood up and leaned over his ex-girlfriend. "Of course I did. I'm not an idiot. I had your car driven back too. It's parked in the parking lot across from this hospital."

"Good." Hannah attempted to sit up, moaned and quickly lay back down. "One minute I was taking pictures and the next minute I felt something hit me and my arm went numb . . . I dropped my camera and all I could think of was that camera cost me a fortune."

Slowly shaking his head, Booth knew he would never understand Hannah or any other reporter. "You were told to stay in your car."

She closed her eyes for a minute and then reopened them. "Well, how could I do that when I had a great story unfolding before me . . . Do you think I could have something to drink?"

Booth poured a little water in to a cup and lifted it to her lips. Once she drank the water, he placed the cup back on the table. "You could have been killed."

"Says the man who was shot at by a killer clown." Hannah hated that double standard. "You had a job to do and I did too."

Since he wasn't going to get her to admit that she had done anything wrong, Booth pointed at the closet across the room. "Your camera is in the closet . . . I called your station and asked that they put me through to your producer. He's on the way to check on you and to get your camera . . . I also called your mother . . . I'm glad you're going to be okay, Hannah."

"You remember my mother?" That really surprised Hannah since it had been so long since she and Booth had been a couple.

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Of course I do. We used to live together. I loved you . . . your mother should be here soon. I told her I'd stay until you woke up. I didn't want you to wake up surrounded by strangers."

"Thank you Seeley." Hannah sighed. She still loved her ex-lover, but she knew he would never come back to her. She had crushed him when she had turned down his marriage proposal and he had moved on. "I hope you get back together with Temperance. I want you to be happy."

He appreciated her kind words. "Thank you. We will someday. I just have some things to fix and if it works she'll take me back . . . Our separation isn't Bones' fault. It's mine, but I think we'll be okay eventually . . . at least I hope so."

"She loves you. You have to know that." Hannah knew that to be true. She had known that before Booth had ever proposed to her. "It was one of the reasons I turned you down. I . . . I couldn't say yes to you if you were still in love with her and you were . . . I thought you might eventually get over her and you might look me up, but you never did."

"No I didn't." He didn't really want to talk about the past. He was more worried about his future with his wife. "Now that you're awake I'm going to go back home. You should be okay until your mother shows up."

She knew that she had made Booth uncomfortable. For some reason, she had made a habit of doing that. "You're right. I will be fine . . . Bye Seeley." _I love you._

"Bye Hannah . . . and thank you for letting me know about the clown serial killer. He would have probably kept killing until someone put it together. You saved lives . . . I don't suppose you'll tell me who told you about Miller . . . will you?"

She shook her head. "No, I can't."

Booth patted her hand, turned and left the room. He found Aubrey in the lobby of the hospital and pulled the keys for his SUV from his pants pocket. "She's going to be okay. Her producer and her mother are on the way. Her mother should be here in about another hour."

Tossing his coffee cup in the trash can near the entrance, Aubrey followed Booth out to the parking lot. "Let's stop for dinner. I'm hungry and you must be too."

"Alright." He really wasn't that hungry, but he knew Aubrey was probably starving. "I need to call Bones and let her know we're on the way back. I called her earlier to let her know about Hannah. She wanted to drive over to make sure the surgeon had done everything right, but I talked her out of it . . . Bones doesn't need all of this shit . . . She's been through a lot lately . . . too much really."

Aubrey knew that Booth was worried about his wife, but he had faith that she was pretty strong and could handle a hell of a lot of trouble in her life. "She's pretty strong, Booth. She's okay."

"Yes, she is strong. She used to be impervious, but now she's really strong." Booth was glad to have such a wonderful person like Brennan in his life. She was his anchor when life was trying to tear him apart. "She's stronger than I am."

As they neared the SUV, Aubrey walked around the truck and waited for the door to be unlocked. Once he was inside, he buckled up. "If you want my opinion, Dr. B, is probably stronger than anyone I know . . . You're a lucky man, Booth. A very lucky man."

"Yeah, I am." He was mortified that he had gambled and placed Brennan and his child in danger, but he would make that up to them eventually. First he had to get himself on the right road away from gambling and if he could earn Brennan's trust back, she might let him come back home. It was a big task, but he knew that he couldn't fail. That wasn't an option. He needed his family and he would find a way to get them back into his life. No matter how long it took, he would find a way to get Brennan to allow him to come back home.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Well the clown is dead. Let me know what you think of my story so far. Thank you.


	11. Chapter 11

(The Light in the Life)

A/N: Fanfiction had problems last week and some people didn't get notifications when I posted chapter 10. If you haven't read chapter 10 then please read it before continuing to this chapter. Thanks.

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I really don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

He hesitated before he knocked on the door. It still felt weird knocking to enter his own house, still it was what it was. After a few seconds, the door opened and Booth smiled at his wife. "Hey Bones. I thought I'd come by and talk to you about the clown case, if it's not too late."

"I'm eager to hear about it." Brennan waited until Booth entered the house, closed the door and followed him into the living room. After she sat on the chair near the window, Booth sat on the couch. "Christine is asleep."

"I understand, it is late." Booth had hoped to see his little girl, but it was nine at night and she normally went to bed by eight.

Brennan felt a little awkward treating her husband like a visitor, but at that moment that is what he was. "I appreciate the call you made to me this afternoon. I know you were under a lot of strain after killing Miller and Hannah being shot."

Booth unbuttoned his jacket and leaned back against the couch. "I told you that Miller wasn't in Altoona when we found him. He was on the way to Bethlehem, West Virginia when we caught up with him . . . Hannah had tracked him down before we did and she followed him when he left his job. She called me and let me know what was going on and gave me the road he was on."

Annoyed that Hannah had interfered in an FBI case, Brennan frowned in displeasure. "She jeopardized your case."

He agreed, but Hannah's information had been instrumental in catching the Killer Clown. "She shouldn't have tracked down Miller, but because she did she was a big help and we stopped him before he got to West Virginia . . . I would have liked to have captured Miller alive instead of killing him. He needed to stand trial for killing those kids. Their parents deserved some closure. Now Miller is dead and they'll never see him convicted for killing their children."

She hated that Booth had had to kill Miller. He had killed so many men in his life in the name of duty and she knew it bothered him a lot. "I'm sorry you had to kill him to stop him, Booth, but it sounds like you didn't have a choice." She just hoped this didn't set Booth back in his fight against his addiction.

"No, I didn't." He really hated killing, but he had grown resigned at a younger age that evil men had to be stopped and sometimes that had to be done with a bullet. "Miller shot a Sheriff's Deputy, a State Trooper and . . . and Hannah. He shot Hannah. She was standing outside of her car taking pictures of the shootout. It was a very stupid thing to do. She was shot in the shoulder."

"I know, you told me." She noticed the sadness on Booth's face and wondered if he still loved Hannah after all. "You said she was going to be alright."

He wished that Hannah hadn't been shot, but he knew she would recover and her mother would take care of her until she was well again. "Yeah, her surgeon said she won't have any permanent damage. She's lucky she didn't get killed." He didn't really want to talk about Hannah, but he thought he had better clear up any misunderstandings that Brennan might have. "I don't love Hannah, Bones. She's part of the past. I love you and I only want you."

She was relieved to hear Booth's words. "I love you too . . . Did you go to a meeting tonight?"

Her reminder of why he wasn't living at home was deliberate and Booth knew that. "No, it's too late. I'll go tomorrow."

Brennan was worried that missing any meetings would delay Booth's recovery. "Would you like to talk to me since you can't go to a meeting tonight?"

Booth wasn't sure that was a good idea. He had recently come to grips with the danger he had placed Brennan and Christine in and it filled him with shame to think about it. He had apologized to her already about it and he had meant it, but he knew he would have to talk to her about it again and make sure she knew he was sincere. He just couldn't do it at the moment. He had too much to think about and he didn't think he could voice his worries, his concerns properly. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm good. I'll just go home and go to bed. I'm tired. It's been a very long day."

She felt a little anxious about Booth's missed meeting, but she had to let him take care of it. If he thought he could miss a meeting then she felt he was probably right. He was determined to get his gambling addiction under control and she trusted him to keep working on it. "Alright . . . If you wish to talk, you may call me later. I won't mind." Besides she was having trouble sleeping by herself. It had been a hard few weeks and she missed him so much.

Thankful for her kindness, Booth stood up. "Well, I'll go home . . . I'll go now . . . I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She followed him to the door. She wanted to kiss him goodbye, but she knew she couldn't. "Bye." Once he was gone, she went to her bedroom and lay down. She wasn't sleepy, but she was tired. It had been a long day and she was so sad and so lonely. She wanted her husband back home, but she wasn't sure she could trust him to refrain from gambling. It was a trust issue for her. It was always about trust.

Ooooooooooooooooo

He lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. He was tired and he should be asleep, but he just couldn't turn his mind off. Rolling onto his side, he stared at the phone lying on the nightstand and debated with himself. "She did say I could call." Frustrated, he threw off his blanket and sat on the edge of his bed. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was 11:16. _Not too late, right?_ The phone now in his hand, he called her. If she didn't want to talk she could hang up. "This is Booth."

 _Is everything alright?_

"Yeah, I just couldn't sleep and you said I could call." He was starting to regret calling her. She was pregnant and needed her sleep. "Look, I'm sorry, it's late. You need your sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Night." He ended the call and placed the phone back on the nightstand. He felt so restless and that was starting to worry him.

The phone rang and he answered it. "Booth." He saw it was Brennan and wondered what she was going to say.

 _Why did you call me then hang up? That seems an odd way to behave._

His cheeks burned from embarrassment. "I'm sorry . . . I'm just so restless and I was hoping you were awake and you would talk to me, but then I realized it was so late . . ."

 _I wasn't asleep, Booth. I find that I am restless too. If you wish to talk to me, then you may. I was just reading._

Glad he hadn't woken her up, Booth leaned back against his headboard to get a little more comfortable. "I don't know why I'm so restless . . . well, I do, I guess. Um . . . look Bones, I should be saying this to you face to face, but, I'm sorry . . . I'm sorry that I gambled and I let things get out of hand. I thought I could handle it, but I couldn't. You're right, it wasn't a mistake. It was deliberate and I really am sorry. I never meant for it to go as far as it did and I never meant to place you or Christine in harms way . . . I do promise you that I will never gamble again. I won't betray your trust like that . . . I just . . . I have a lot of work to do, but I think I'll get my life back in order."

She had waited for these words for weeks and now he had said them. "Thank you." She wasn't sure what else to say. She didn't want him to stop going to the meetings. She was afraid if she allowed him to come home too soon, he would fail again. What was to keep him from gambling again if she let him come home? She couldn't be the instrument of his failure. "I am on your side, Booth. If you need my help, you have but to ask . . . Would you like to come over tomorrow night for dinner?"

"God, would I? Thank you." He was surprised that she was offering, but he wasn't about to turn her down. "Would you like me to bring anything? I can bring dessert."

"Thank you." She heard the happiness in his voice and she knew that the invitation would probably settle down his restlessness. She knew him and she knew that he missed her and Christine. "If you wish, you can bring an apple pie . . . you do understand it is just for dinner?"

He knew. "One step at a time, Bones. I know."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow night, unless we have a case, in which case I will see you then." The call ended, Brennan placed the phone back in its charger and lay down. Strangely, she felt more relaxed than she had for the last few days. Suddenly sleepy, she closed her eyes and found the sleep that had been eluding her earlier.

Booth placed the phone back on his nightstand and lay back down, covering his body with his discarded blanket. Less anxious than before his talk to Brennan, his body seemed to be more relaxed and his mind wasn't buzzing with thoughts. Filled with a sense of peace, he fell asleep.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	12. Chapter 12

(The Light in the Life)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I really don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The next four days were busy with another case unfolding, the closing of the Killer Clown case and yet, Booth and Brennan found time to eat dinner with each other. They ate at the Royal Diner since it was neutral territory and yet a comfortable place to dine for both of them.

"I think we might know why Keith Miller was killing those kids. It's psychological stuff and you don't really believe in it, but it makes sense." Booth sipped some coffee and waited to see if Brennan was interested in hearing his theory.

Psychology was a soft science, but she had seen on occasion that it had merits. "What did you find?"

"The Altoona police went through Miller's apartment with two of my agents. They found several diaries that Miller had kept. I've skimmed through some of them and um . . . he was nuts . . . He was abused by both of his parents when he was growing up. They hated kids, so I have no idea why they had Miller except he wrote in his diary that his mother told him he was a mistake . . . anyway, his father was a professional clown. That's some real crazy right there." He stopped and stared at his half full cup of coffee. Miller was so screwed up and it made him grateful that his grandfather had rescued him from his father. He could see how his father could have warped him if he hadn't killed himself first to escape the bastard.

She knew that Booth was probably thinking of his own childhood and it made her feel sad. Brennan placed her hand over his free hand. "He didn't have anyone to rescue him."

Yeah." Booth looked up and smiled at his wife. "I had Pops. I was very lucky . . . Miller hated kids because his parents hated kids. They thought their kid was bad because all kids were bad to them. Talk about messed up. He thought it was his mission to get rid of bad kids to please his parents. The way he picked his victims was just . . . really warped. He decided that kids were bad if they were willing to talk to him as a clown. I can't figure out the logic of that, but that's what he did. He would drive into a town in his clown costume and pick a quiet street or lane and walk around until a child approached him. That was how he knew who his victims were. He considered them to be a sacrifice for his parents, whom he loved. His way of weeding out the evil in this world . . . His words by the way." He paused to sip more coffee. Miller's diaries creeped him out.

Miller's explanation was very confusing to Brennan. "He must have been insane. It's a wonder he could hold a job at all."

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "The bakery owner claimed that Miller suffered from migraines and they lasted for days. It might have been a lie to allow him to travel to various places to kill or it might have been true. He didn't mention the headaches in his diary, so we'll never know."

A quarreling couple entered the diner yelling at each other over a dent in their car. Their shouts got louder as they sat down and threats started to fly between them. Growing angry at the couple's lack of respect for themselves and the other patrons, Booth stood up, walked over to the table they were sitting at and showed them his badge. "Keep it down. No one here wants to hear you two arguing. You're disturbing the peace."

Belligerent, the man stood up and glared at Booth. "This is a free country or at least it used to be before you fairies took over and ruined it for the rest of us."

His eyes now cold, Booth placed his badge back in his jacket pocket and flipped his jacket aside so that the man could see his pistol. "Well this fairy doesn't sprinkle fairy dust if you get my drift."

The menacing look, the sight of the pistol and the stranger wilted. He sat down and stared at the table instead of Booth. "Our argument was done anyway."

"Good." Booth walked back to his table with a scattering of applause thanking him from the other patrons in the diner. Sitting down, Booth shook his head. "I guess I'm a fairy."

Amused, Brennan laughed and shook her head. "You really don't look like the fairies in Christine's books." The thought of someone calling Booth a fairy was just so funny to her. "Clearly he doesn't know you were a sniper while you were in the Rangers and that you still serve that function on occasion for the FBI."

The man overheard Brennan's rather loud statement, turned pale and urged his wife to leave the diner with him. He knew that he had made a mistake and he wanted to leave before the FBI agent took interest in him again. As he left he glanced back at Booth who was staring at him. Relieved to be out the door, he hurried his wife to their car and left. The dent in their car forgotten.

The whole situation was so amusing to Brennan. "I've missed how much fun it is to be with you, Booth." And she meant it. Booth made her happy and her life was never boring around her husband.

Jane had witnessed the incident and wanted to reward her favorite customer for what he had just done. Placing a piece of apple pie in front of Booth then Brennan, the server smiled. "Thanks Agent Booth. I was worried that the argument was going to escalate into something much worse . . . the pie is on the house."

Grateful for free pie, Booth picked up his fork and scooped up a piece. "Thanks Jane, anytime." Chewing his bite of pie, Booth pointed at Brennan's piece. "It's good Bones and you know the little guy might want some."

She found it amusing that he called her fetus the little guy, but it was a male fetus and she loved apple pie, so his statement was acceptable. After swallowing a bite, Brennan placed her fork down. "It is interesting that I love pie now when I used to hate it."

Booth had a theory about that too, but he kept it to himself. "Pie is good for you. It's fruit."

Rolling her eyes, Brennan decided not to correct him. It would just spoil their happy moment anyway. "I have a body being brought in by the Army tomorrow. If I must work late, can you watch Christine for me?"

"Of course I can." Booth was happy that Brennan trusted him with their daughter. He had been caring for her whenever Brennan had to work late for a few weeks now and he enjoyed every bit of it. "I'll go to an early meeting and then be over to the house around six. Is that okay?"

"Yes, Max can only watch Christine until seven, so six is fine. Thank you." Christine had a new book she wanted her father to read to her, so Brennan knew her child would be excited when she told her that her father would be staying with her tomorrow night.

The last four days had been rather nice for both of them. They were becoming more relaxed around each other and their dinner dates were getting longer and longer. Brennan had a decision to make in the very near future and she had a lot of thinking to do. She just hoped she came to the right decision since it affected many people and not just her.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

With the Stanbow case closed and the Killer Clown case finished, Booth was working hard to fix himself. He went to GA meetings every night right after work and attended church three days a week. Father Hebert was counseling him and encouraging him to attend mass as often as he could. He knew that Booth was a spiritual man and the priest hoped that the church could help him in his struggle to control his gambling addiction. He had known Booth since he had moved to the D.C. area and he wanted to help him return home to his family as soon as possible. With Booth, his family meant everything to him and Father Hebert knew that if Booth could return home, he would make sure he never gambled again. The Agent was aware of how much he had to lose if he did.

Brennan had used her time away from her husband to think about what she wanted from Booth. He was going to his GA meetings, he took good care of their daughter when he could and he was attending church. He had neglected his faith after he was released from prison and it had taken his fall from the gambling wagon to send him back to the church he used to love. Since her husband was a man of faith, she knew that the church would be a help to him. He had always relied on his faith when things were going badly for him and the fact that he was now open to going back to church told her that Booth might be finally recovering from his betrayal by the FBI and the death of their friend, Sweets. All of these things were signs that she might be able to trust him once more.

Ooooooooooooo

He was sitting in their living room, Christine was in bed and Booth was enjoying just being with his wife. "I'd like to talk about something serious, if it's okay with you."

Not sure what he planned to talk about, Brennan suddenly felt nervous. "Yes, of course."

His eyes on his clasped hands, Booth tried to martial his thoughts. He didn't want her to misunderstand what he was about to talk about. "You know I'm afraid of clowns." He had denied that fear for many years, but he knew he hadn't fooled anyone, least of all his wife. "When we confronted Keith Miller, he was dressed as a clown . . . green wig, red and yellow clothes, makeup." He paused, the memory of Miller was still fresh in his mind and it made his heart beat faster. "Um. The State Police and a Westmoreland Sheriff's deputy had him in a stand-off. Miller didn't want to get out of his car . . . When we got there, I talked to Miller and talked him out of the car." He stopped talking, the hairs on his arms were standing up just thinking about the sight of Miller standing next to his car.

Brennan noticed how much Booth was struggling to tell his story and she wanted him to understand that she was on his side. She moved from the chair to the couch, sat down next to her husband and grasped one of his hands in her hand. "I'm listening Booth."

The feel of her hand in his hand seemed to steady him. "Miller got out of the car and I . . . I knew I couldn't get closer to him than I was. I just couldn't do it. Some of the others approached Miller and before they got too close, he pulled a gun and he fired at the Sheriff's deputy and then the State Trooper. The asshole was a terrible shot. If he had been any good, he would have killed those men . . . Aubrey dropped to his knee to shoot back and for just a second I stood there. Miller was my worst nightmare come true, but I shook it off and I shot over Aubrey's head and killed Miller. Even after the man was dead, I couldn't go near him . . . I was afraid to go near him and he was dead . . . I hate that I'm so afraid of clowns. It doesn't make any sense, but I am . . . If I hadn't hesitated for that second, I think I would have killed him before Hannah was shot, but . . . but I did and now she's in the hospital. It was my fault that she was hurt."

"Nonsense, Booth." It infuriated her that her husband would think Hannah being hurt was his fault. "She was told to stay in the car. Common sense should have told her to remain in the car where it was safer, but what did she do? Bullets started flying in the area she was in and she got out of her car to take pictures. She was grossly negligent. You can't save people from stupidity. Hannah was shot because she failed to use sense. You didn't fail her. You didn't fail anyone. That one second wouldn't have meant anything if Hannah had hidden in her car. You actually saved lives by killing Miller as soon as you could. I'm proud of you Booth. As far as I am concerned you are a hero. You saved lives when you killed Miller and not just the law enforcement officers at the scene. You saved a child's life by keeping him from getting to Bethlehem, West Virginia."

A weight seemed to leave his shoulders. A weight he hadn't known was there. "You really think so?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe it, Booth. You know I don't lie." Brennan raised his hand to her lips and kissed the back of it. "You are a hero and I will not let you think otherwise."

Her lips on his hand sent a tingle up his arm and he felt like there was hope that someday he could come home again. "Thank you." He watched as she lowered his hand to her breasts and rested it there. He was afraid to move, not sure what she was expecting from him.

"Booth, I know that you being out of the house is working. It's what motivates you to fix your gambling problem." She was struggling, trying to find the right words. She had something to say and she needed Booth to understand. "What's going to keep you going when you move back here?"

He had an answer for her. "I know that if I screw up a second time, you won't give me a second chance." And he knew that. He knew that Brennan would only give him one chance and this was it. It was all she had in her since trust was such a valuable thing to her. "I know that I can never gamble again, ever."

She believed him. She believed he knew that she could only let him betray her once and never again. "I know that there is no guarantee how this will turn out. Life is uncertain. There are so many variables that you and I have no control over, so I cannot rely on certainties."

Not sure what she was saying, Booth was afraid that she was telling him that they had no future together and that made him want to cry, but he didn't. He sat there and hoped he was wrong. "I don't understand, Bones."

"I'm ready for you to come home, Booth." Brennan smiled. "You have proved to me that I can trust you . . . Hannah came back and you didn't move on from me back to her. You remained loyal to me . . . you've gone to your meetings. You've been honest about what you are doing to fix your problem and Booth, you went back to church."

That seemed an odd thing to impress Brennan with. "You don't believe in God."

"But you do." Brennan saw the look of confusion on his face. "When you were released from prison, you stopped going to church. That was so unlike you Booth. Many things you did was so unlike the Booth I knew . . . you were distrustful of everyone including God and you had told me many times in the past that you loved God and he loved you . . . It was unnerving." She clutched his hand harder in her clasp. "Since you quit gambling, you have gone back to your meetings. You have gone back to church. You have done everything you could to show me that I can trust you again and I do trust you Booth."

Booth closed his eyes and felt a sense of relief wash through him. He had been so afraid that he would never get his family back.

"Look at me Booth." She didn't know what he was thinking, but she needed to see his eyes. "I want you to come back home."

She had said it once more and Booth was starting to believe his nightmare was coming to an end. His mouth opened and he stared at her as if he was having trouble accepting what she had said. "Really? . . . I mean yeah, I think I should move back home too."

Shifting her body, Brennan leaned over and waited for Booth to lean towards her. When he did, she placed her hands on the collar of his shirt and pressed her lips against his lips. It had been such a long time and at one time she had feared she would never kiss him again.

Booth shifted his body and placed his hands on his wife's sides under her arms and returned her kiss with a mixture of desperation, love and lust. Once they were both breathless, they separated and they both laughed. The last several weeks had been hard for both of them, but they now were back together and they knew that they would never be parted again.

"Welcome home, Booth." She stood up and reached her hand down for Booth's hand.

Glad to be home again, Booth stood up and took her hand in his hand. "I have missed you so much, Bones. All I did was dream about you while I was gone. Every night. My dreams were all about you."

She thought that was so romantic and it made her blush with thoughts of the things she had dreamed about when Booth had been gone. "I think we should move into the bedroom. I think we should turn some of those dreams into reality, don't you?"

A grin on his face, Booth followed Brennan to their bedroom and knew that they would both be calling in sick the next day. He was with his family again and he wanted to enjoy that moment for as long as he could.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Okay, the end. I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.

A/N: I have a new story starting next week, 'Eternity'.


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